


Never Regret

by HeartQueenVivaldi



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alive Carla Yeager, Alternate Universe - College/University, Artist Eren Yeager, Character's Name Spelled as Hanji, Character's Name Spelled as Jaeger, Eren Is a Little Shit, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Good Parent Grisha Yeager, He gets better, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) is Bad At Feelings, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) is In Denial, Levi is not nice, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pianist Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-02-02 16:37:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 54,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12730290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartQueenVivaldi/pseuds/HeartQueenVivaldi
Summary: Eren is about to start his third year of University, but he's not looking forward to it. He has no one to room with after Armin transfers to another school, so he has no choice but to have a random roommate. Upon arrival to his new room, he meets Levi Ackerman, a senior with a bad attitude and threats that would scare anyone away. LevixEren. Rated for mentions of adult themes. Nothing explicit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, there! this is a story I started on another website, and I've recently decided I really like this site as well, so I will now be posting in both places. I'll be putting up the four chapters I already have, then it will be business as usual. I can't promise weekly updates or anything right now, because I'm in school and have a lot going on at the moment, but I will get them up as quickly as I can. And the chapters for this story are longer than most of my other works, so that kind of makes up for it. Anyways, here's another Levi/Eren story for you. I hope you enjoy it!

_“The only thing we are allowed to do is to believe that we won’t regret the choice we made.” -Levi Ackerman_

Eren was having a rough time wanting to go back to school for his third year of University. His best friend and regular roommate, Armin, wasn’t going to be returning with him, rather he would be transferring to a different university better suited for his goals and degree. Eren was staying, though, and many of his other friends already had roommates, so he had to put in for a random one.

This would be the first year that he would be able to afford the bigger dorm rooms where he wouldn’t have to share a bedroom with a stranger, and that was one of the only upsides to it. He hated that he didn’t know who his roommate would be, and dreaded move-in day. When he received his paperwork telling him which room he was in, he was at least glad that they told him the other male’s name: Levi Ackerman. That would be one less awkward conversation to start with.

Eren’s sister, Mikasa, and Armin still wanted to help Eren move into his new dorm, and offered their assistance. Eren accepted the help without complaint, and on moving day he had all his things packed and ready to go when they showed up. All they had to do was load it into a car and they were off to the University about an hour away.

Upon arrival to the parking lot behind the building where he would call home for the next nine months, Eren grabbed a duffel bag of clothes, found his room key, and headed into the building to locate his room, leaving Mikasa and Armin to unload the car and organize a little to help them with carrying things up the stairs.

Eren climbed up to the second floor and walked down the hallway, reading room numbers as he went, when he got to room 217 on the right-hand side, he set down his bag and held his electronic key up to the door. When he heard the lock slide out of the way, he turned the handle and opened the door, grabbing his bag and entering. Previously, Eren had stayed in the smaller rooms that didn’t have anything but two single beds, two desks, dressers that were built in under the beds, and a small bathroom that contained only a toilet and a sink. Meals were eaten in the cafeteria with everyone else, and showers were communal. This room was the complete opposite. There was a kitchen to his right with a dishwasher and everything. There was a peninsula bar and just beyond that he could see a hallway, where he assumed the bedrooms and bathroom would be. To his left was the living room, equipped with a television, coffee table, recliner chair, loveseat, and a couch.

Until this moment he had hoped he would be the first one there so that he could choose which room he wanted and unpack in relative peace and not under the eyes of a stranger, but there was no such luck. Sitting on the loveseat, watching Eren survey the room, was a dark-haired male that Eren could only assume was Levi. The two stared at each other, and for a moment all Eren could think was ‘damn, he’s hot’. The brunette couldn’t look away from the grey-blue eyes that held him in a trance-like state, and was almost overcome with a desire to touch the hair that looked so soft. The haircut Levi sported perfectly outlined his face, and Eren was suddenly even more nervous, especially when he realized that the raven was glaring at him.

“Oh… ummm… hi...I... I’m Eren.” The brunette dropped his bag by the door and walked forward with his hand outstretched. “It’s nice to meet…” He never finished his sentence as his foot caught on the strap of his duffle bag and he tripped. Trying to catch himself, the boy took big steps, almost falling on his face as he moved forward, but eventually lost his balance completely and fell right into Levi’s lap, the top of his head connecting solidly with a set of very hard abs, and his nose grazing the older man’s zipper on his pants. When his momentum stopped, he collapsed on the raven’s thighs, and before he knew what was happening, Levi had stood up, pushing Eren off and leaving him discombobulated on his ass in the middle of the room.

“Do you always make such an entrance? Or are you just stupidly trying to mess with me?” Levi glared down at the brunette, who cowered slightly from the look on the older male’s face.

“Umm… well… neither… I can be kind of clumsy sometimes, especially when I’m nervous or anxious.” Eren scratched the back of his head and stood up. “I’m really sorry. You are Levi, right?”

The raven grunted in return. “Look, kid. This is my last year of university, screw with me and you’ll be dead. My usual roommate graduated last year, so I had no choice but to put up with a random one. Your bedroom is the one on the right, don’t even think about setting foot in mine, leave my bathroom stuff alone, that’s why it’s mine, clean up after yourself, and leave me out of your clumsiness, got it? Seriously, I can’t stand messy roommates, or ones that won’t stay out of my space.”

Eren stood there in silence for a moment to make sure Levi was done talking, and then nodded nervously. He turned without another word to retrieve his bag from the doorway, and went to his own room. He considered for a half of a second about opening the left door just to piss off the man behind him, but didn’t entertain the idea for fear of having his balls chopped off or something to that effect.

His room was about the same size as the smaller dorms, but there was only one bed, a closet, and a desk, so there was a lot more floor space. It felt much bigger. Placing his bag on the bed, he left the apartment, ignoring Levi on his way out and went back down to the car, where Armin and Mikasa were just finishing up unloading his few things.

Mikasa saw him first and addressed him: “Hey, did you find the room? Is your roommate there?”

“Yes, to both questions.” Eren answered back sourly, not bothering to expand on that.

“Well, what’s he like?” Armin inquired when he noticed Eren wasn’t going to explain anything without some probing.

Eren exploded a little at having to describe his asshole of a roommate. “What a joke! I can’t believe I have to room with that piece of shit! For nine months, NINE!! I’m going to go crazy living with that, Armin!”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad.” Mikasa tried to calm him, pulling his hands off Armin's upper arms where he had latched on during his little rant.

“Oh, no. Just you wait, you’ll see. Grab a load, let’s go! You can meet the asshole for yourself!” Eren yanked another duffle bag up over his shoulder, picked up a box with some books in it and a few picture frames with photos of all his friends and family, and started walking toward the building with Armin and Mikasa scrambling to grab the last few things and follow him.

The two friends had to practically run to keep up with Eren in his pissy mood. When they entered the room Eren went straight to his room, not even bothering to look at Levi, who was now typing on a laptop at the small kitchen table.

Mikasa looked over at the mysterious roommate, put her box on the peninsula, and held out a hand to the man. “I’m Mikasa, Eren’s adopted sister, and this is Armin, Eren’s best friend.” She held a hand out to him and when he didn’t take it she dropped her arm back down by her side and glared back at the man. “Well fine then. Have a nice day.” She picked up her box, and headed for the room Eren had gone into, pushing Armin in the back to get him to move.

When they entered the room, Mikasa closed the door behind her. “What a jerk. He didn’t say one word to me, and I was even polite.”

Eren turned around from his spot in front of the desk where he was setting out pictures and putting books on a shelf, and looked at his sister, who was setting her box on the bed. “You know, had I not tripped he probably would have never said a word to me either, but because I fell right into his lap he had no choice but to insult me and practically tell me to stay the hell away from him. What a douche.” Eren stood quietly for a minute watching Armin pull some t-shirts out of a duffle bag to put in a drawer in the closet, before he remembered how enraptured he had been by Levi’s eyes and hair at first sight. “It’s too bad he’s so damn attractive. No, scratch that, he’s downright sexy. If he wasn’t such a dick, his would probably end up shoved up my ass.”

Armin laughed at the comment, but Mikasa grimaced. “You know, just because you’re gay doesn’t mean you need to pull me into it. I really didn’t need to know you saw him that way at all.”

Armin chuckled again. “Come on Mikasa, he’s got a point. The guy is attractive. Even you can admit that. It was a harmless comment. It’s not like he was telling you about his sex life, he’s just trying to prove a point.”

“Yeah, alright.” The three friends changed subject and finished unpacking Eren’s things. When they had everything done they decided to order a pizza and see if there was anything good on TV.

When they went out to the living room, Levi was nowhere to be seen. Eren silently thanked whatever gods were watching over him in that moment, flopped down onto the rather comfortable couch and flipped on the television, scanning through the channels to see if anything good was on while Mikasa was on the phone with the pizza place. Armin sat next to him and they were soon swept up in a sitcom and munching away happily on a pepperoni pizza, until Levi came out of his room, that is.

The man grimaced and scrunched his nose in disgust at the sight before him. There was an empty pizza box on the coffee table with unfinished crusts left in it along with some crumpled up napkins. “Disgusting…”

Eren looked up when he heard the quiet comment. “Pardon me, what was that?” The brunette snapped when he realized what the other man had said.

“I said you’re disgusting. Clean that mess up, you damn brat.” Levi spat back at him.

“I’m not a brat, you are, and I’ll clean it up in a minute. It’s not like I planned on leaving it there for weeks on end. Just let us finish this episode, then I was going to walk them down to the car to see them off and take the box with me. Just chill, would ya?” He turned back to the television and Levi looked suddenly murderous. Mikasa caught the glare and nudged Armin who nodded, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

“You know, Eren, we’ve already seen this episode, and we really should be going before it gets dark.” Armin and Mikasa stood, taking the empty pizza box with them and heading for the door.

Eren paled a little at the sight, but knew they would have to leave eventually, so he stood up with them, and followed them to the door. Mikasa grabbed her purse off the counter by the door and Eren went to open it.

When the door opened Eren was hit over the head by a fist. On the other side was a person that Eren didn’t recognize. This person was suddenly frantic as Eren put a hand to the spot where he was just hit. “Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry. The door just opened as I was about to knock. Are you okay?”

Eren chuckled and looked up to get a better look at the person in the doorway. It was a girl with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and glasses over a pair of big, brown eyes. She looked a little crazy, but concern was written all over her face. “Yeah, I’m okay, but may I ask who you are?”

The girl stood up straight now, laughing, all concern vanishing in an instant. “I’m Hanji, Hanji Zoe. Is Levi here?” She looked up over the three heads and spotted the raven in the background. “Which one of you is Eren?” Eren raised his hand as the woman rambled on. “I hope shorty hasn’t given you too much trouble, he can be kind of grumpy, but don’t worry, you get used to it. Also, when you get to know him he really is a nice guy. He’s just full of compassion and he really does care, you just have to learn to read behind that mean old face of his. He’s got a temper though, so try not to get on his bad side. He’s a real monster when he’s angry. I think his height only makes it worse, too. He’s so short, you see! I was his roommate all through college until this year, because I graduated!”

In all of Hanji’s ranting, and as she continued, no one noticed Levi approaching from behind, he gently pushed Mikasa and Eren out of the way and knocked the woman on top of the head with his fist. “Stop talking, Shit-for-brains, or you’ll be the one on my bad side.” He stopped talking for just a second, then tacked on. “And don’t call me shorty ever again, or I’ll slice your tongue out of your mouth and throw it down the garbage disposal, do I make myself clear?”

Hanji nodded sheepishly, cowering slightly from the aura that surrounded Levi in that moment. The woman recovered quickly though, and threw her arm around Levi’s shoulders, dragging him through the apartment and to the loveseat, sitting him down. As she started rambling to him, Eren and his friends slipped out into the hall and headed for the car.

“Geez, how on earth does that crazy woman handle him?” Mikasa complained once they got to the stairwell.

“Or better, how does he handle her?” Eren countered. They all laughed at that. The woman, Hanji, seemed like she was a lot like Eren, but even crazier and a lot more hyper. She would be difficult for anyone to handle, especially Levi.

“But can you believe Levi? I swear there’s a stick shoved so far up his ass you could smell wood on his breath. For real, he wouldn’t even wait a few minutes for us to clean up the box. He’s such a tight ass.” Eren rambled on, and his friends listened, nodding in agreement. When they reached the car Armin and Mikasa both gave him a hug, and went to get in the car.

Mikasa opened the door, but turned back around to address Eren one more time: “Good luck, Eren. I know it’s going to be hard, but like that Hanji girl said, you might get used to it, and you may even find that you two get along better than you think. Just try not to blow up at him, okay?”

Eren nodded, watched as his friends drove away, and went back up to his new dorm room. When he went back in, Levi was missing again, but Hanji was staring at him with her crazy, brown eyes. Eren nodded to her and went to the kitchen to get one of the popsicles he had put in the freezer. He threw the wrapper away, and leaned against the counter, eating in silence. After a minute or so of awkward silence, Hanji approached him, eyes softening.

“Eren, you seem like a nice kid. I like you already and I’ve only known you for a matter of minutes. I want you to know that what I said earlier is truer than you know. Levi’s really a nice guy once you get to know him. After a while you start to realize that he doesn’t mean any of the threats, and he really does care, you know… I know he seems like the type of person you’d never get along with, but after a while…. well… that changes.” Hanji went quiet for a moment as if debating whether she should continue or not. Eventually she seemed to come to a decision and finished the serious topic with one last sentence: “please…. don’t let him push you away… he will try, just don’t let him, okay?”

Eren nodded, not quite sure what to say. This girl was very nice, and she seemed to be sincere. He wanted to do what this stranger was requesting, but he didn’t know if he would be able to, judging by how things had already played out, but for her sincerity he was willing to try.

The mood changed quickly after that, and the girl’s eyes went wide and crazy again as she handed Eren a piece of paper. “That’s my cell number, so if you need to ask questions I would be happy to answer them, especially since Levi can be kind of an asshole. First, I’ll give you a couple of basics: One, Levi is a clean freak, so keep the place clean and he will be happier. Two, he has what we call a ‘resting bitch face’, so if he looks mean, just know that it’s how he always looks.” The girl laughed boisterously at that, and Eren couldn’t help but smile at her frivolity, even as Levi walked around the corner, coming from the bathroom looking like he might actually cut off her tongue.

Levi kicked her out quickly after that, telling her to leave him alone and spitting out another threat, and Eren quickly pocketed the piece of paper so that he could input the number into his phone when he got the chance. He figured he might need that later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little slower, It's just setting up some things that will happen later on in the story, and finishing up moving day. Enjoy!

Levi and Eren stood in the kitchen, looking at each other, not saying a word. Hanji had just been kicked out by Levi, and they were officially alone for the first time ever. The silence lasted a lot longer than Eren even thought possible, until his popsicle started melting and was running down the back of his hand. The younger boy panicked, swore, and turned to hold his hand over the sink so that none would get on the floor. He quickly cleaned up, and when he turned back around Levi was closing the door to his room, and he was gone again.

Eren didn’t even know what to do at that point. He had hoped that his friends would stay longer, but his roommate had scared them away, so he had nothing to do, and it wasn’t like he could hang out with Levi, and the older man had kicked Hanji out. He eventually settled for picking a movie from the few he had brought.

 Just as the first movie ended and the credits started to roll, Levi re-emerged from the room, and sat on the love seat, facing away from Eren, feet up on the other cushion, phone in hand. He turned his head just enough so he could see Eren from the corner of his eye, and asked him to shut the tv off. Eren, not wanting to lose any fingers or something to that effect, did as he was told.

Once it was quiet in the room, Levi spoke, being nice to Eren for once. “Are you hungry? There’s a good Chinese place just around the corner, and I was going to order some takeout. Do you want some? Delivery is cheaper if you order more.” Levi kept tapping away at his phone as he spoke, obviously looking for the number for the restaurant. When he found it he stopped before pressing send, and looked expectantly at Eren with a glare in the mix when the boy didn’t answer.

Truthfully, Eren had been so surprised by Levi’s temporary kindness he hadn’t known how to react, but when he noticed Levi’s face turning to a scowl he shook his head slightly and stumbled over an answer. “Um, well, I just had pizza not too long ago, but I could eat it later, I guess. Chances are, I’ll be hungry later.”

Levi nodded, but responded sourly. “It’s not for right now, you brat. On move-in day you have to order early to even get anything there. It most likely won’t even be here for a few more hours.”

“Well you could have said that, you know.” Eren spat back.

“Do you want anything or not, brat?” Levi’s scowl deepened, and Eren grunted in distaste.

“Stop calling me that, and that’s fine. I like their Tangerine Chicken with Chow Mein noodles and white rice.”

Levi lifted one slim eyebrow as Eren countered him. “You’ve eaten there before, then?”

“I have lived on campus for two years now. I’ve ordered at all the takeout places around here. I’m a junior you know, not a freshman.”

“Really, because based on your bratty attitude I would have guessed freshman right off the bat.”

“Stop with the brat thing, and order the food already. I’m going to go take a shower.” Eren stood up and left Levi to order the food, but as he put the remote back on the coffee table, Levi had to put in his last two bits.

“Good, because you stink, damn brat.” Eren turned around, ready to punch the other male in the face, but upon seeing the other’s hard expression decided better of it, and he simply turned around and stalked off to get his bathroom things from his room.

After showering, Eren returned to the living room in a pair of dark skinny jeans and a tight, black shirt. Levi was still sitting on the couch, but now he had a binder open in front of him with a pencil in hand. The pencil threw Eren off, because most students always used a pen. He didn’t seem to be writing words, either. The strokes he was making with the pencil were too strange to be words.

It was when Levi started tapping his fingers on the paper in a sort of rhythm that Eren started to understand and noticed the keyboard set up against the wall next to the other male’s room. “What’s your major, Levi?” The raven stopped his tapping momentarily to shoot the brunette a heated glare.

“Is that any of your business, brat?”

“I’m just curious. I’ve watched a friend do something similar to what you are doing now, and he’s a pianist.” Eren cocked his head to the side after Levi closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.

“I’m a piano major. I’m working on an arrangement. Are you happy now that you’ve messed me up and I have to start over?” Levi glared at the boy and Eren muttered a quick apology before Levi continued. “Listen brat, I have to work on this. The food will be here in a little while, but until then I really need you to be quiet. Find a quiet way to occupy yourself, will you?”

“Fine, but stop calling me a brat, asshole.” Eren turned to fetch his sketchbook from his room and his art pencils. He figured he would try drawing something to calm his nerves. Once he re-emerged he looked around for something to sketch. His eyes landed on the keyboard sitting just to his right.

He sat on the couch, leaning on the armrest closest to the keyboard, and started to sketch. It didn’t take him long to finish the simple drawing of the keyboard, shading and all, and was quickly looking for something else to add to his sketchbook.

His teal eyes, after scanning the room, fell on his roommate. The other boy looked peaceful as he alternated between writing and tapping on the papers in front of him. It was the first time Eren had ever seen Levi without a scowl on his face. In fact, his face was relaxed and his posture comfortable. His head tilted to the right every time he tapped out a rhythm as if he were listening to the music he was silently playing.

Eren’s heart skipped a beat when he realized just how handsome the man sitting across the room from his was. He decided to draw his roommate. Portraits were one of his favorite things to draw with pencil, and hands were another, so he decided to capture the whole scene with his pencils. He spent the better part of close to two hours on his sketch of Levi. He took extra time and care to get the eyes and hair just right, and then later, his hands. He decided early in the drawing that he liked it best when Levi was playing his silent piano, so that was what he captured.

When he was done, he was left with his best sketch ever, especially considering that his model was constantly moving throughout the whole thing. He had captured the mood perfectly with the shading and texture effects he had put into the drawing. Levi’s hair looked just as soft in the drawing as it did in real life, and his hands were just as delicate.

Eren stared at the sketch for a few more moments until there came a knock on the door. Eren was then grateful that he had finished his art piece, because Levi got up to get the door, and the boy would have lost his chance to finish it.

As Levi stood to get the door, Eren closed the sketchbook and placed it on the coffee table. He reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet to help pay for the food. He walked over, handed Levi a ten-dollar bill, and walked back into the living room. Levi paid for the food and went into the kitchen, Eren following close behind.

Levi unpacked the bag of food, giving Eren his, and they plated it up and went to eat on the couches in the living room. Eren sat back in his spot at the armrest by the keyboard, and Levi took the spot opposite him.

They ate mostly in silence, until Levi decided to break the quiet atmosphere. “I’m surprised you were able to stay quiet for that long, brat. What were you doing?”

“Is that any of your business?” Eren mocked what Levi had said earlier and the raven cocked a thin eyebrow.

“Considering the fact that you pried into my life and I answered, I think it’s only fair that I know a little bit more about yours.”

“Alright, fine. I’m an artist. That’s my major, even, so I was drawing.” Eren shoveled another forkful of tangerine chicken into his mouth and Levi pried more.

“What were you drawing? You were very focused on it, whatever it was.”

Eren stayed quiet for a minute, eyeing the sketchbook that sat on the coffee table between Levi and himself. Eventually he settled on an answer. “That’s not any of your business, and it really wasn’t anything.”

"I know what the first thing was that you drew. It was the keyboard. You were very focused on it, but you finished that quickly. You moved on to something else, but I didn’t know what. It took up the majority of your time, though. It must have been interesting.”

Eren stayed quiet then, and retrieved the book from the coffee table to place between himself and the armrest. “Can I see it?” Eren’s head snapped up at the question.

He immediately knew how to counter that one. “Can I hear what your arranging?” The space between them was suddenly thick as neither wanted to show the other their talents. “You show, I show, that’s how this works, Levi.”

“It’s not done yet, brat.” Eren laughed a little at that.

“Who said mine was?”

Levi smirked. “I know the first one is, or you wouldn’t have moved on to the something else.”

“How about this: when you play the piano for me I’ll show you some of my drawings, deal?” Eren held out his hand to shake Levi’s, sealing the deal.

Surprisingly, Levi took Eren’s hand, and they shook firmly before falling back into a comfortable silence. Eren reveled in the feeling of Levi’s hand. It had been soft, but he could feel callused skin on his fingertips from years of playing music. It made Eren wonder if you really could get calluses from playing the piano, or if Levi played another instrument as well.

They ate quickly and Levi went back to tapping on his paper and writing notes down after cleaning up the dishes. Eren had finished his drawing, so he played a game on his phone for a while until Levi got up, pulled some ear buds out of his pocket, and approached the keyboard. Eren smirked. “You know, you could let me listen and then you would see my drawings, right?”

“When I play for you, brat, it will be on a real piano, not this piece of shit keyboard. This is just to check rhythm and harmony. I don’t even have any pedals on this thing.” Levi looked over at the instrument with a look of absolute disgust on his face.

“Whatever you say…” Eren fell quiet again, and Levi sat down, plugged the buds in, and started moving his fingers across the keys in a way that mesmerized the Brunette. He couldn’t even hear what was being played, but he was already fascinated. Levi would stop frequently to play something a few times, erase notes, or add in new ones.

Eren watched his hands move and cross each other for a long time before he decided he would kill himself sitting there watching something he couldn’t hear, so he turned away from the keyboard and picked up his sketchbook again to find something else to draw, and, not seeing anything of interest, free-handed something random, listening to the clicking of the plastic keys behind him all the while.

The night passed quicker and quieter than Eren had ever expected it to, and before long he was yawning and closing his sketchpad for the night. He muttered a quick goodnight to Levi, who was now sitting on the loveseat reading a book, and made his way to his room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, just a little fun before the boys start school. Happy Reading!

Eren woke up the next day, Saturday, to the sound of a crash in the kitchen just outside his bedroom door. He bolted out of bed and flung the door open to see what had happened, and to make sure that whoever was out there was okay. He was met with a pile of pots and pans on the floor that had been previously hanging on the wall behind the stove, and Hanji on her ass on the tile. She seemed to be okay, but had her hands on the back of her head as if she had hit it.

The brunette heard a sigh to his right, and turned to see Levi in a near-see-through, tight, white tank top and dark skinny jeans. His eyes were murderous, though, and Eren shied away a little. He emerged the rest of the way out of his room and approached the kitchen. Eren was already nervous for the other brunette. “Seriously, four-eyes? I left for two seconds, and this is what happens?” He lifted his hand and Eren, for a moment, thought he might hit her, but his assumption was wrong. Rather he held out a hand to help the woman up off the floor.

She took it, explaining as she stood. “I don’t know what happened, Levi. I just reached up to pull a pan off the wall for us to make breakfast with, and the next thing I knew, all of the other ones came with it.” Levi lifted one slim eyebrow at her, then turned to the wall.

After a quick examination of the wall, Levi spoke again. “It looks like you pulled the rack out of the tile somehow. I’m not sure how you managed it, but it can be fixed.” Levi turned back to the mess on the floor. “Now, let’s get this mess cleaned up.”

Eren yawned as Hanji and Levi picked up the pans and put them on the counter. The brunette looked at the time on the microwave and figured it was about time for him to be awake anyways, so returned to his room to put on a pair of jeans and the black shirt he had on the night before.

When he returned, Levi and Hanji had finished cleaning up the mess of pots and pans, and were looking at the broken wall bracket. They had stacked the mess on the counter by the sink, and Levi was saying he was going to call dorm maintenance and they would come fix it.

Eren sat on a stool at the peninsula bar and addressed Hanji. “Are you okay? Did one of them hit your head?”

The woman turned, flashing Eren a big smile, and nodded. “yeah, one did hit me right on the top of the head, but it’s no big deal. I’m alright.”

Levi turned to her then, still on the phone with maintenance, and put in his own two bits to the situation. “Leave it to glasses here to make a mess.” He turned away again and after another short conversation, hung up the phone. “They’ll be here to fix it today. Until then, the break got the stove dirty. We shouldn’t cook on it until that’s fixed. We can go out to breakfast. I’ll pay, but we’re not eating here.”

“Are you sure, Levi? We could just clean the stove so we don’t have to spend the extra money, and….” Eren was interrupted then.

“No way.” Levi shot a glare in Eren’s direction.

“But…” He interrupted again.

“I said no, and that’s that. Money isn’t an issue, I’m good there. Let’s just go get in the car, and stop asking questions. It’s amazing I’ve gotten along with Hanji for so long with all of her stupid questions.” With that Levi got his keys off the hook by the door and left, Hanji and Eren looked at each other with baffled looks before scrambling to follow before he left them.

They ran down the stairs, following Levi. Eren was surprised by how fast he could move with his short legs. They walked down into the parking lot, and Eren looked around wondering which car belonged to his roommate. Levi started walking and approached the last car he ever thought Levi, or any student for that matter, would drive: a new Audi A3. Eren knew he could never afford an Audi with his current situation. He had a job, but used his paycheck to pay for other necessities, like tuition and food. He had a small scholarship, but it didn’t cover everything, so he didn’t even drive a car so that he could be in school in the first place.

Eren had stopped in place to admire the car he was about to get into, and after a minute Levi turned around after opening the driver’s side door, and yelled at Eren. “Hey, brat. You getting in, or are you just going to stand there gawking?”

The brunette watched Hanji hop into the passenger seat, and Eren followed her, getting in the back. Levi started the car and pulled smoothly from his parking spot. They stopped at the entrance to the lot, and Levi asked where they wanted to eat. After debating, Levi and Hanji finally agreed on going to IHOP, because everyone could get what they wanted there.

On the way, Eren didn’t say a word. He simply sat in the back seat with a hand on the leather bench next to him, admiring how soft it was for being leather, and wondered why Levi wasn’t using the very nice stereo that was currently turned off. He didn’t dare ask, though, not wanting to be yelled at again by his roommate that was going to pay for his breakfast.

The meal went smoothly, for the most part. Hanji had ordered crepes, and was making a mess with the syrup, so Levi had furiously cleaned her face for her, and to top it off, chastised her in the middle of the meal. Eren was careful with his French toast after that, not wanting to infuriate the other male further by making a mess with his own syrup and powdered sugar.

When they returned home, Levi wouldn’t let Hanji back in the dorm, and glared at her until she went home. She finally relented, teasing Levi about something or another that Eren didn’t quite catch, nor understood when he finally caught a couple of words.

Levi pushed her the rest of the way out as she was yelling goodbye to Eren. He closed the door and turned around to walk into the kitchen when there was a knock on the door, and Levi had no choice but to turn around. On the other side of the door was not Hanji as Eren had expected, but a man with some tools in hand, looking rather miserable. “I’m here to fix a rack in the kitchen.” The man announced obviously.

Levi’s scowl deepened as he looked from the man’s bearded face down to his clearly dirty boots. The short man grimaced, but let the other in, who immediately approached the wall to begin his work. He was there for a while, and eventually Levi got tired of watching the mess the man was making, and disappeared into his bedroom.

Eren remained in the living room, though. He had briefly gone to his room when the man arrived, but only for a moment to grab a sketchbook and some pencils. He drew a few things while the man was there. He was in a zone, totally immersed in his sketch of the apartment itself when he was pulled from his trance by the sound of a vacuum. He looked up to see the man sucking up the mess he had made on the stovetop and counter. At least he was making an effort.

The maintenance man announced that it was finished, but not to hang anything on it for a few hours while the glue set in, and left without another word, taking his tools and little vacuum with him. The man had been fairly grumpy, and Eren wondered what his problem was.

He didn’t have long to wonder before he heard an annoyed sound coming from the other man he lived with. “What?” Eren inquired of the other male, wondering why he looked so disgusted.

Levi was looking at the newly mounted pan rack with a face that screamed displeasure, so Eren got up to look at what he saw. When he could see nothing wrong with the scenery in front of him, he inquired of the man again, “What? It’s not like he hung it crooked, and he cleaned up the dust.”

That was when Levi turned to him, appalled at what Eren had said. “No, shit-stain, he didn’t clean up anything. It’s horribly filthy.” The raven then scrunched up his nose.

“He did, though. I watched him vacuum the dust…”

Levi interrupted, “Just because he vacuumed, doesn’t mean he cleaned.” To prove his point, Levi approached said stove, ran two fingers across it, and held the fingers out to Eren, who approached and looked at the rather large amount of wood and tile dust Levi’s fingers held. He grimaced and turned to get a better look at the stove.

“Oh… That’s gross… How did you even see that anyways?” Eren turned to Levi, who was rinsing his fingers in the kitchen sink. “I would have never noticed until I went to cook on it.”

“And that’s the big difference between you and me, isn’t it, brat?” Levi turned to get a rag out of a drawer to start cleaning up the mess.

“Stop calling me a brat, and I guess it is.” Eren fell silent for a moment, leaning on the counter watching Levi clean. “Would you like some help?”

Levi turned to Eren. “No, I have a particular way I clean, and you’ll just mess it up. Go sit down and draw or something. Just stay out of my way, brat.”

“Fine. Just know I offered, asshole.” Eren returned to his place on the sofa with his drawing of the kitchen. He looked up to see Levi standing on his tiptoes, trying to wipe the wall, and decided to add Levi into the drawing. He took a mental screenshot of the moment so he could add it in, knowing Levi wouldn’t be there for long.

He immersed himself in drawing again until he watched Levi sit at the little keyboard. Again, the older male plugged in some ear buds so that Eren couldn’t hear the music, and the brunette shook his head, wishing he could hear what was being played instead of just the light tapping of plastic on plastic.

After a minute of watching Levi’s fingers dance across the keys, Eren went back to drawing. After a few more minutes he was startled by a sudden “shit” from Levi. The brunette looked up to see Levi with a look of deep concentration on his face as he tapped the keys a little slower than before. He shook his head and played slower still, and Eren was suddenly confused by the raven’s actions.

A few more minutes of this and the older male ripped his headphones out of the jack and stormed off to his room, taking his binder of music with him and slamming the door behind him. Eren chuckled a little at the sudden act of frustration. ‘ _For someone who has spent so much time at the piano trying to learn, he sure is impatient when it comes to learning something new.’_

Eren sat on the sofa a while longer, sketching, before his eyelids started to feel heavy and he put his pencil and sketchbook on the floor next to him, laying down to take a short nap. It didn’t take long for him to fall into a peaceful sleep.

It didn’t last nearly as long as he would have liked though. He was awakened by a rather hard hit to his head. When Eren looked up to see what he had been hit with, he wasn’t surprised to see Levi standing over him, a glare on his face and a rolled up bunch of paper. “Did you just hit me with that?” The brunette pointed to the roll of papers.

“Yes, I did. If you want to nap, do so on your bed, not on the couch. There are other people in the world who might want to use it, you know.” Levi’s glare became scarier as Eren just gaped at him in disbelief.

After Eren gathered his senses, he countered Levi’s comment. “You could have asked me nicely. You didn’t have to hit me. Geez, you’re such an ass. Seriously.”

Levi walked towards the kitchen after Eren’s comment, and scoffed when he turned away. “Whatever. It’s getting late. I’m making dinner, do you want some? And, yes, I’m offering even after you called me an asshole.”

Eren looked at the clock on the microwave to see it was already after 4 o’clock, and he had spent so much time drawing he had even skipped lunch. His stomach rumbled, pulling him from his thoughts to see Levi standing in the kitchen, waiting for an answer. “Oh… umm… yes, please. I’m starving.”

Levi nodded and turned around to put a pan on the stove. He reached up above his head to grab at only air. That was when he realized that all of the pans were still on the counter. He groaned, moving to the pile to replace them on the rack.

Eren had gotten up off the couch to put his notebook away, and when he returned to the kitchen, Levi had already started on putting chicken into a pan with some seasonings. The aroma made the brunette’s stomach growl again, and he approached Levi at the stove. “This smells amazing.” He paused, smelling the air, “What are you making?”

“Chicken.” Levi replied simply.

“Would you like help? I’m not a bad cook. I can hold my own in the kitchen.” Eren was surprised when Levi nodded his head and pointed to a cupboard.

“There’s a rice cooker under there. Get it out and start enough rice for the two of us.” Then there was a beeping coming from the door akin to that of when the door was unlocked, and a tall, blonde man walked in, Hanji following close behind. “I thought I told you to go home, shitty glasses.” He paused for a minute. “And how did you get in here?”

“Well, Erwin,” the woman gestured to the blonde next to her, “wanted to see your dorm. How I got in is actually a secret.” The woman laughed at her own answer.

Then the blonde spoke for himself, “And I also wanted to meet Eren. Hanji told me a lot about him.”

Levi sighed, rubbing his temple with his fingers. “Fine, whatever. Are you going to be eating with us?”

Erwin smiled. “We would love to eat with you. How can we pass up the cooking of Levi Ackerman?”

Eren cocked his head, catching that last sentence. ‘ _So, he really can cook if this guy’s reaction is anything to go by.’_ Then Levi turned to him, and revised a previous statement.

“Never mind. Make enough rice for the four of us.” The raven turned to stir the chicken in the pan. “And when you’re done with that you can start the vegetables.”

Eren nodded and turned to make the rice. When he had it in the cooker he was pulled from his next task by the new man in the room. “So, you must be Eren.” Erwin greeted the shorter Brunette. “I’ve heard some things about you from Hanji, and I thought she was exaggerating when she said you were adorable, but it turns out she was right.” He smiled a dazzling smile at the young man that was trying to get going on the veggies before Levi snapped at him.

“Oh…well, thank you.” Eren blushed, turning to ask Levi where the vegetables were. Levi pointed to a cupboard.

“There’s canned veggies up there. You can choose between corn and green beans. Put them in a pan with some water.” Eren nodded, doing as he was told.

When he was finished with his part, Levi had nothing left for him to do but wait, so he sat at the bar with Hanji and Erwin. The brunette noticed a sideways glance from the blonde next to him, and was a little creeped out. “Wow. What did you do to him?”

Eren looked back, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Levi won’t let anyone cook with him, so how did you earn the privilege?” Erwin glanced at Levi, who was shooting a heated glare in the blonde’s direction.

“Umm… I just asked… I don’t know…” Eren blushed, but Levi saved him from further investigation.

“Hey, eyebrows.” Erwin looked to the shorter male expectantly. “Would you shut your trap? I was hoping to get some peace and quiet around here tonight, but it looks like you’re here, and that you’ll be here for a while. The least you could do is keep your mouth closed.” He sent a pointed look to Hanji then. “You too, shitty glasses.”

The room stayed quiet for a while then, everyone waiting for Levi to finish cooking. Then finally, they were all looking at full plates of chicken, rice, and corn. Eren’s mouth watered and his stomach grumbled loudly. Hanji laughed, hearing Eren’s loud belly. “I guess that’s our cue to dig in, huh, Eren?”

Eren blushed and decided not to answer her, shoveling some food into his mouth instead. Eren moaned at the flavor that exploded in his mouth. The chicken wasn’t dry and bland like it was when most people made chicken. It was moist and full of flavor. The seasonings Levi used all blended together really nicely and made the meat unique. “Wow, Levi. This is amazing!” The brunette exclaimed after swallowing his first bite.

Levi grunted a quick thank you, and everyone ate the meal in silence. When they were done, Eren gathered the plates to wash them, his way of saying thanks to Levi for the food. While Eren washed the plates and forks, Erwin, Levi, and Hanji went to sit on the couches.

Erwin spoke to Levi. “So, are you still majoring in piano this year?” Eren heard an affirmative sound from his roommate. “Good. I was hoping you would just stick to it.”

Levi scoffed. “Why? What’s it to you?”

“I love listening to you play the piano. It’s incredible. It always has been.” It was quiet for a minute, and Eren turned to see Erwin and Levi staring each other down. This confused the brunette, until Levi finally broke the silence.

“I know what you want, and it’s not going to happen, you big-ass tree.”

“Aww, Levi. Why not?” Hanji whined at the raven.

“Because, the keyboard sucks, and I’ve already practiced for hours today. I’m not playing for you right now.”

Hanji pouted at his reply. “But, Levi. We never get to hear you play anymore. You should really play for us more often. You’re so good at it.”

“I don’t care how good at it I am. I’m not going to play for you today.”

Hanji complained at him some more until Levi finally groaned and made a compromise. “Fine. I won’t play today, but Eren asked to hear me play. I don’t want to play for him until I’m at a real piano where I have pedals and a richer sound. We made a deal. He’s an artist, so when I play the piano for him, he will show me his drawings. When I play for him, I’ll invite you. Deal?”

The woman squealed like a little girl. “So we would get to hear you play on a real piano? Can it be a grand piano? Will you play that Mozart song?” Levi held up a hand and clapped it over the woman’s mouth.

“One at a time. Yes, to all three questions. That won’t be for a while still, but I will play, for all of you.” Hanji squeaked excitedly again. A little while later, Levi was ushering them out the door.

The two roommates sat quietly on the couches, each doing their own respective work before Levi bid Eren goodnight and went to his room. Eren followed soon after to his own room. The brunette was fast asleep the second his head hit the pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, this is the last one of the ones I've completed, so from here on out it will be updated whenever I finish chapters. So enjoy what you have for now, and I'll get the next one up as soon as I can, and hopefully that won't be a month from now... haha... Happy Reading

Sunday passed quickly for the boys of dorm 217. They were only interrupted by Hanji once, and Levi promptly kicked her out telling her to not come back unless it was an emergency or she would have her feet cut off, or something to that effect. Needless to say, they didn’t see her again.

The boys spent their last day of summer preparing for classes, shopping, drawing and playing the piano respectively, napping, and Eren had Mikasa over for lunch one last time before she became busy with her own schedule at the university across town.

Levi was out while they sat together, eating their noodles and talking on the couch. Mikasa was very curious about her brother’s new roommate and asked many questions. “Is he still an asshole?”

“Yeah, but he’s getting better, believe it or not.” Eren paused for a minute, pondering his answer. “It’s like what Hanji said is true or something. He really is nice deep down, he just doesn’t know how to show it. Like yesterday, he took the three of us out to eat because the pan rack came out of the wall and made a mess on the counter.” The brunet pointed at the wall, continuing to speak as his sister glanced at the wall above the stove. “Even though it was all threats and glares, I could tell he at least cared about Hanji.”

“What makes you say that?” Mikasa looked back at him curiously.

“He was rude, but it was like he was being rude to keep her from embarrassing herself in the restaurant. I don’t know.” They fell silent for a minute. “Then again, it could simply be because he is a clean freak and was truly irritated about her little mess.”

Mikasa asked a few more questions about other, more pleasant things before she had to leave and prepare for her own classes. On her way out Levi re-entered the apartment, glaring more than usual. Mikasa slipped out the door, the shorter male only glared harder when Eren asked him what was wrong, and he slammed the door closed behind the female leaving the room.

Eren didn’t see him again for a few hours as he disappeared into his room. He only came back out to make something quick for dinner and then sit at the keyboard. Eren thought, from the extra loud clicking of the keys, that Levi was playing a little harder than necessary.

The brunet wondered what had changed his roommates attitude so quickly, as he had left in a fairly pleasant mood for being Levi, until he caught a glimpse of the papers sitting on the keyboard. Levi was playing furiously, reading the music covered in marks of constant change. There was another manuscript sitting on top and to the side of the keys that Eren couldn’t quite see, but could see red marks covering it that the brunet had never seen before.

Apparently, as far as Eren could tell, Levi had gone to have his work checked and hadn’t had a good response, putting his roommate in a sour mood. But as Levi played, his fingers slowed, and he started to not play as hard. This was an epiphany moment for Eren to help him understand his roommate just a little bit better. He plays the piano to relieve stress and worry. He uses the keys to release pent up energy and relax, to keep his emotions in check.

It was in this moment that Eren put two and two together. He had wondered how Levi could learn music the way he has, especially after making a few mistakes the other day and storming off, but now it all made sense. He learned in frustration, and fell in love with the action in the process. The music was his way of calming his own nerves and getting a grip on his own emotions and actions.

Once Levi had calmed down and Eren felt as if he understood his roommate just a little bit better, they once again fell back into their already developing routine, and before long, Eren found himself curling up in his bed to sleep.

The harsh beeping of his alarm clock is what woke him up the next day, and Eren groaned in response to the sound, reaching over to his nightstand to turn the horrid sound off. The brunet slid out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom across the hall to brush his teeth and relieve his bladder. When he looked in the mirror he could only sigh. His hair was a complete mess, more so than usual anyways.

No matter what Eren did, he could never seem to get his hair to lay flat on his head, it was always sticking up every which way, but this particular morning was worse than usual. One half of his head was matted down, and the other half made him look like he had been electrocuted or something, standing perfectly on end.

The boy took his hairbrush from the drawer and started to work through the gnarled mess he called his hair. At a knock on the bathroom door, he started, and yelped, surprised at the sound. He opened the door to see a glaring and pissed off looking Levi. “Oi, brat. Are you done in there? I have to take a piss.” At second glance, Eren noticed that Levi was wearing workout clothes and was covered in a sheen of sweat that could be seen on his exposed arms from his tank top, and on his forehead.

Eren rolled his eyes, put his brush down and left the room so Levi could relieve himself. When Levi re-emerged from the restroom he no longer looked like he had just walked in from a workout. Eren decided the other man had it much easier. Eren had only finished brushing half of his hair, and he knew the other half was bound to be a mess, and Levi’s already had been parted and combed into his usually perfect style, and was already showered and dressed.

By the time Eren had tamed his hair as much as he could, picked an outfit, packed his backpack, and was putting his shoes on, he was already running late. When he ran out of his room, Levi raised an eyebrow at him while he cooked some eggs, Eren putting two pieces of bread in the toaster and tapping his foot while waiting. “What time’s your first class, brat?”

“Nine, and I’m already late… and on the first day.” Eren whined the last part, and Levi rolled his eyes, flipping his eggs.

“And whose fault is that?” Levi replies with snark and a smirk.

“Not mine. My hair is a nightmare sometimes in the morning, and this morning happened to be one of those days. I mean, you saw it.” Eren eyed the older student for a reaction.

“So it is your fault.” Levi kept a blank face, watching Eren from the corner of his eye as the brunette threw his hands in the air.

“No, it’s not. It’s my stupid hair’s fault!” Eren was starting to become irritated.

Levi could tell, and decided to see how far he could push this brat before he exploded. “And it’s your hair, so ultimately it’s still your fault.”

Eren groaned heavily, not quite believing his ears. “Whatever, asshole.”

“You know, if you ever want me to stop calling you a brat, you should stop calling me an asshole.” Levi chided, flipping his eggs over.

Eren looked to his roommate, disbelief clearly written all over his face. “Are you for real, right now?”

Levi looked back blankly at the question. “Pardon?”

Eren scoffed. “Unbelievable. You called me a brat first.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Yes you did, that’s how I decided you are an asshole.” Eren turned to butter his toast that just popped up.

“Whatever…” Levi paused what he was saying, knowing he would tip Eren over the edge. He was so predictable. “…Brat.”

Eren closed his eyes, trying not to completely explode. “Say I did stop calling you the asshole that you clearly are, would you truly even stop.”

Levi turned his head, as expressionless as ever, and looked Eren directly in the eyes. “No promises.”

The brunette was ready to scream from frustration. “Then why mention it?” His teeth were clenched tight, his face screwing up in rage.

“Just a thought.” Levi scooped his eggs from the pan and onto a plate, pulling a fork out of the drawer. The raven glanced at the clock on the oven and pointed with his fork. “Oh, look. It’s almost nine.” He looked up at Eren again, amusement in his eyes, clearly pleased with himself. “You better start running, Brat.” He turned on his heel, walking towards the table to sit and eat his breakfast.

Eren, on the other hand, wasn’t so peaceful. “Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” The boy shoved a piece of toast in his mouth, chewing as fast as he could, walking around the peninsula to get his backpack off of the bar stool he set it on. Once he swallowed, he turned to his smug, pleased roommate. “You ASSHOLE! You made me late!”

Levi put a piece of egg in his mouth, chewing slowly and swallowing before answering. “Nope. You did that all on your own, Brat.”

Eren ran to the door, picking up his other piece of toast on the way out, muttering under his breath on the way. Little did Eren know, Levi heard every word he said. “Fucking asshole. He did this shit to me on purpose.”

As the door slammed closed, Levi let a devilish grin spread across his face as he took another bite of his eggs. That had worked better than he thought it would. This year was bound to be fun, if Eren was going to be like that every day.

Eren ran across campus as fast as he could, trying not to choke on the toast in his mouth. He ran to his classroom, opened the door, and took a deep breath when he realized the professor wasn’t there yet. He scanned the room quickly, seeing if there was anyone he knew. There were a few, but the seats around them were all full, so he just took a seat in the back. This would be one of his more boring classes anyways: History of Art. Just lovely.

Eren tried his best to take good notes, but the professor was known to be a boring one, and he found himself doodling before long, and zoning out. He was pulled from his trance by someone sitting next to him passing him a note. _You should totally teach me how to draw like that._ Eren looked over and saw this girl with a brown ponytail. He didn’t know her, but he could already tell she was trying to flirt with him. Then Eren realized something else: What the hell was he drawing? He looked down to see a familiar, scowling eye. He had put a lot of detail into it, and it looked good, but he didn’t want it to, he was mad at the owner of those eyes for making him late this morning.

He groaned quietly, turning back to his notes and writing on the little piece of paper and handing it back to the girl. _I wish I knew how I did that. I wasn’t even paying attention to what I was doing. It’s just natural for me._ The girl nodded after reading the note and started scribbling away again.

_Well, it’s really good. I wish I could draw, even a little. Hey, would you like to go out to lunch with me today?_ Eren read the little note, writing one back.

_Sure. What’s your name?_ Eren knew she would think of it as a date, but he didn’t care. He would just be glad to have someone to eat lunch with today.

_Kim, you?_

_Eren. I get out of my next class at 11:30. I could meet you somewhere._ He watched the girl, Kim, read the note and tap her pen against her lower lip, thinking.

_Sure, how about that café down the street?_

Eren knew the one she was talking about, so he nodded to her, pocketing the note. When class ended she stood up next to him and told him she would see him later. The brunette nodded, not saying anything, or even having a chance to before she was gone. He shrugged, heading to his next class: Methods of art. This would be one of his favorite classes. It would be the one where he learned more about the different types of art and how they worked.

The class passed quickly with his interest, and before long he found himself walking down the road to meet Kim at the café. He wasn’t necessarily looking forward to it, knowing she would try to flirt with him. He would probably have to tell her at some point today that he was gay. That’s never really a pleasant conversation.

He walked in the door to Café Sina, and the smell of coffee hit him hard. He looked around and saw Kim at a booth in the corner, waving at him. He smiled and walked over to her, sitting down after a simple greeting.

A waiter walked over and took their orders, and left them alone. They talked for a while, and eventually, as Eren expected, she got bold and took hold of Eren’s hand that was resting on the table. He pulled away, and sighed. She looked hurt, and he quickly tried to diffuse the escalating situation. “Hey, It’s nothing against you, Kim. There’s a good explanation for this.”

She was suddenly furious. “What explanation? You have a girlfriend, don’t you?!”

Eren sighed and chuckled a little.

“What are you laughing at? It’s not funny.” She was still angry, obviously.

“Well, Kim. No, I don’t have a girlfriend, and I’m sorry, but I don’t really want one.” She tilted her head, now confused. “Umm… I’m gay, Kim. I like guys.”

Suddenly this was all very funny for Kim, and she started laughing. Eren lifted an eyebrow. “Oh my goodness, and here I was thinking it was because you hated me.”

“Oh, man. No way. I like you, I just couldn’t like you like that.” Kim laughed again.

“Oh, well. That’s okay. Well, at least we have a good story to go with how we met, no?” Eren laughed and nodded. “We can still be friends, though, right?”

“Of course. Like I said, I like you.” They talked for a while longer before Eren had to excuse himself to go to work.

Eren usually would stop at his dorm to drop off his bag, but today he would just have to take it with him. He worked at the little convenience store down the street a little ways with a couple of friends of his. When he walked in, Sasha and Marco were already there. They were his two favorite people to work with, so he knew it would be a fairly easy-going shift. Better than working with horse-face Jean, anyways.

The 6 hour shift from 1 to 7 went by quickly, and before long he was already headed back to his dorm. When he walked in the door, Levi was sitting at the keyboard, and Eren had caught him, for just a second, without his headphones in. But apparently Levi had super-sonic hearing, so he stopped the second the door opened, and turned to face Eren.

“What kept you out so late, Brat?” Eren groaned at the now normal nickname that wasn’t going away any time soon, after this morning’s conversation especially.

“I actually have a job, thank you. From the looks of it, you don’t.”

Levi scowled at the remark. “I don’t need one.”

“Why not? You’re a student, just like I am.”

“That’s none of your business, Brat.” Levi was suddenly very defensive. He stood, gathering his books, probably to retreat to his own bedroom.

Eren watched his sudden change in behavior with narrowed eyes. “You’re not doing something illegal, are you?”

Levi turned back, shooting Eren a glare that would kill any man with a weaker heart than Eren’s own. “Watch it, Brat. No, I’m not. Like I said, this isn’t any of your business.”

He gathered the rest of his books, and disappeared to his own room, leaving Eren alone in the living room. Eren decided to make a quick dinner, clean up, and vanish to his own room to do the little bit of homework he had, and make sure he was ready for the next day, so that hopefully he could get out the door on time to avoid running again.

Before long he was once again sleeping fitfully. He awoke the next morning to the shrill sound of his alarm clock. Again, he was kicked out of the bathroom by a sweaty Levi, though at least this time Eren had finished brushing his hair and could go get dressed.

This time, they made breakfast in silence, ate, and walked out the door at the same time. They parted ways at the bottom of the stairs, and Eren took off toward the English building to his last general class. When this English class ended, he would only have art classes left for the next three semesters. He couldn’t wait.

He sat through English, bored except for the fact the Kim happened to be in that class, so they passed notes through the whole class, and then they split up to go separate ways. This next class was Eren’s favorite: art production. He finally would get to make the art himself.

He spent the class time listening intently about water colors and how to make them work right. Eren already knew this, but listened anyways. His heart dropped a little when he got his first project: a watercolor landscape. One, Eren wasn’t good at landscapes, and two, he wasn’t much better with watercolors. He liked using sharp, bright colored paint, not the pastel, faint colors of the watercolor paints. But he sighed accepting his fate and the assignment, realizing he would have to buy the paint tonight while he was at the store.

Making his day no better, when he walked into the store, Jean was there. This shift was bound to be interesting with that asshole around.

Getting home, Levi was on the couch watching television, and Eren looked completely defeated. He collapsed in his spot on the other couch and sighed, closing his eyes. Surprisingly, Levi spoke up first. “You alright, Brat?”

“It’s been a long day, asshole. I don’t need you making it worse.” Eren groaned, kicking his shoes off, and laying down.

“I was just asking. No need to be so rude. I was trying to be nice.”

“If you wanted to be nice, you’d stop calling me a brat.”

“Not gonna happen… brat.” Levi smirked at Eren’s eyeroll.  They sat quietly, watching the television until finally Eren felt his eyes start to grow heavy, and he excused himself, picking up his shoes and going to his room to collapse on his bed and fall into a heavy sleep.

The next two days were basically a repeat of the previous two days. The main difference was that Eren decided to start on his art project, and only became frustrated, throwing the paper away again and again. Levi watched him with mild interest each time he crumpled up another sheet of paper, then returned to letting his fingers dance over black and white keys.

Finally, Friday came around and Eren went to bed the night before, glad the alarm wouldn’t be waking him up. He woke up around 11, not to the alarm, but to the front door closing. Eren stretched and went out to the kitchen. Levi looked at him with a disgusted look. “Really, brat? Did you just wake up?”

“Yeah, so what?” Eren put a couple pieces of bread in the toaster.

Levi scoffed. “You’re a lazy ass, that’s what.”

“Whatever, asshole. I like my sleep, and nothing you can say will change that.” The toast popped up a few minutes later, and Eren buttered it and took a bite. It was silent between the two males for a while, but soon Eren got to thinking. “What had you up and about this morning?”

“Is that any of your business?” Levi looked to him from the corner of his eye.

“Not really, I guess. I was just wondering.” Eren shrugged, returning his attention to his toast and taking another big bite.

“You know, just because you don’t have classes today, doesn’t mean that I don’t either.” Levi bit back at Eren, still mad that he slept in. “And why don’t you get out of bed and make yourself productive in the morning. I’m up every day at 5 am to go down to the gym so that I’m not a lazy little ass, unlike someone else in the room.”

“Hey, I’m more fit than you give me credit for.” Eren snarled as he ripped off a piece of his toast.

“Want to test that theory?” Levi snapped right back.

"Sure, happy to.” The conversation fell dead after that while Levi thought of a way to exploit and demonstrate his roommate’s laziness.

Eren finished his toast as quickly as he could, and returned to his room to gather up his laundry to throw in the washing machine at the end of the hall in their dorm. He took off the shirt he was wearing and threw it in the pile, too. He picked up the dirty clothes stack and went out into the hallway, opening the door where the machines were kept, and throwing them in with some soap, he started it.

The brunette returned to his room to put on a clean shirt, and when he opened the drawer, he groaned. He totally forgot the reason he had to do laundry in the first place: he had no clothes left. He had one pair of jeans… nothing more.

Well, he would just have to go without a shirt for a couple of hours while the laundry was in. No big deal.

He shrugged, heading out to the living room where Levi was playing the piano with his headphones in, and he plopped down on the couch, turning on the TV. Levi glanced over for a split second, and had to take a double take. His head whipped around to see a very much, half-naked Eren sitting on the couch, flipping through channels on the remote. “What the hell, brat? Why don’t you have a shirt on?”

Eren looked down at his flat, muscled abdomen, and shrugged. “Out of clothes. They’re all in the wash.”

Levi groaned, becoming somewhat frustrated with his situation. And by frustrated, he meant sexually. This brat was actually far more toned and built than he originally gave him credit for: he was attractive, to say the least.

It hit Eren in the middle of a rerun of a Bob Ross Joy of Painting Episode that he randomly flipped to that he was supposed to be painting his own landscape with his worst enemy: watercolors. The brunette groaned, but then remembered another thing he was rather excited about, and turned an evil eye at Levi, then noticed Levi was staring at him, not looking down at the keys at all.

"Like what you see?” Levi scoffed and turned back to the keyboard, tearing his eyes away from Eren’s toned chest. Before Levi could put his ear buds back in, Eren stopped him. “Hey, I have a question for you?”

Levi sighed. “What is it, brat?”

“Well, I have this final project that will be due at the end of the semester, and I don’t have to start it for a while, but it will be a project of my choice. I can choose whatever method I want, and do whatever I want with that method, so long as it showcases what I can do or what I’ve learned.”

"Okay, so get on with it.” Levi pushed for him to finish.

“Alright, I’m getting there.” Eren pushed back. “I was going to use charcoal, and my favorite thing to use charcoal with is portraits. I was hoping you would let me sketch you for the project.”

“No.” Levi didn’t even think before answering.

“Why not?” Eren asked, defeated.

“Because I don’t want you showcasing my face to an entire class, or a teacher.” Levi responded, returning his attention to the keys.

“Ugh, you’re such a boner killer.” Levi heard this comment just before he put his buds back in.

“What?” He glared at Eren, who was slumped back on the couch looking deflated.

“I said you’re a boner killer.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Levi was starting to get mad at Eren’s tactlessness. “Do you get boners from drawing someone else, or are you saying I’m unattractive?”

“Neither. It’s just an expression. I’m calling you a buzzkill. Boring. Mean. No fun.” Eren paused for a minute looking right at Levi, glare and all. “Get the picture?”

“You are such a brat.” Levi shoved his buds in his ear and turned back to the keyboard, not willing to be drug away again by the attractive boy sitting close by.

“Asshole.” Eren muttered as he walked away to change his laundry.

When he returned to the couch, Levi was sitting in his spot on the loveseat with his earbuds in, and was writing in a different binder this time, and not treating this the same as his arrangement. Eren figured he must be doing actual homework.

The brunet sat in his spot and started flipping through channels again, still shirtless. The day passed quickly like that. Hanji came by that evening and they ordered take-out and the three of them watched a movie on the couch. At the end of the movie, Eren decided to give his best friend a call, mostly to get a break from Hanji and to escape Levi’s glare for a bit. He also missed his little blond friend.

The phone rang twice before Armin picked up. “Hey, Eren! How’s it going?”

“Oh, fine. My roommate is still an ass.” Eren sat at the desk in his room, picking at the wood.

“Really? You told Mikasa you thought he was getting better.”

“Yeah, well, I take it back. He’s just naturally mean.” Eren huffed in annoyance.

“I think you’re starting to like him Eren.” Armin had a slight teasing sound in his tone and the statement.

"What? No! He’s a total asshole! He was mad at me this morning because I slept in. Seriously, why is that any of his business?” Eren slumped back in his chair, groaning out of frustration. “Oh, and then I asked him nicely if I could draw him for a project, and he was totally rude about it. He could have been nicer about it. And then, he made fun of me for calling him a boner killer.”

Armin laughed at the other end of the line, and Eren whined at him to stop. “Eren, I think you’re making it out to be worse than it actually is.”

“No way, Armin. You don’t get it.” Eren groaned again. “You know what, you’d have to see it to believe it.” Armin laughed again. “So, Arm, how’s life across town?”

They talked for a long time before Hanji was calling his name, saying she was leaving, so he figured that was his cue to hang up the phone. They said quick goodbyes, and Eren went out to bid Hanji a temporary farewell. When she left, Levi and Eren went back to ignoring each other until Eren turned in for the night, knowing full well he still had a full semester left with his asshole of a roommate.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm really sorry it's been so long since I've updated this story on here... I have updated a few times On fanfiction.net, but I totally forgot that I posted it here, too. But on the bright side, you get three chapters at once! So here goes. Again, sorry for the super long delay. I hope you all enjoy these updates!

The weeks passed in a simple routine for the boys. They got up, Levi went to his morning workout, they kicked each other out of the bathroom, Eren rushed out the door, Levi followed soon after, they went to classes, Eren worked, they came home, did homework on the couch, and went to sleep. Wash, rinse, repeat.  
On weekends, Hanji would come over to bug them, occasionally bringing Erwin along with her. Mikasa or Armin would stop by on rare occasion to go get lunch with Eren, but this was not common. Eren also continued to hang out with his new friend, Kim, after class a few days a week before work. Eventually he did get her number so they could text during class instead of passing paper notes.  
They boys seemed to only become more miserable as time went on in the dorms. Their banter and bickering never ceased, and in fact, seemed to be getting worse. Levi was insistent on calling Eren a brat, and Eren refused to call Levi anything but an asshole as long as he used the term “brat” for the brunette. Of course, this only made things worse.   
Eren had tried to sneak up on Levi playing the piano, but failed on multiple occasions. It was like Levi had eyes in the back of his head. The brunette had tried coming into the dorm quietly while he was playing, and even went so far as to visit the music hall. He had found his roommate, but the raven had caught him long before he could hear anything. Levi had scolded him for it, telling him to stay away from there. If looks could kill, Eren would have been dead that day.  
Eren told his friend Kim about his troubles, and she laughed at him, telling him the same thing Armin had told him; He was making it out worse than it probably was. She even started to tease him that he liked Levi, which the brunette resolutely rejected. It didn’t stop her from continuing her teasing, though, and it became the norm for her to ask about Levi.   
“So, how’s Levi?” The brunette asked for the fifth time that week, and Eren, though he enjoyed the girl’s presence, was becoming consistently more irritated with her.   
Even so, he sighed and answered his new friend. “I don’t know. Fine, I guess. Still an asshole, as usual. It’s only getting worse.”  
“What do you mean?” Kim smiled slyly, and tilted her head innocently. The two actions contradicted heavily in Eren’s head, and he ran a hand through his hair, making it messier than it already was.   
“He is so picky, and a clean-freak, and mean, and short-tempered, and he treats his friends like crap. I’m really looking forward to next year when I don’t have to be anywhere near that man.”  
Kim laughed. “It’s only October, Eren. You’ve got a ways to go, my friend. Hey, embrace it! It’s not like you can do anything about it, so you might as well just brush it off, and make it funny. Just laugh at him, as if he’s not serious, even if he is! It’ll make things more entertaining at the least!”  
“Or I’ll end up dead.” Eren said dramatically.  
“Oh, don’t be so sour about it.” They sat for a minute, and Eren thought maybe she had dropped it, but he was wrong. She picked the conversation back up after sitting quietly in thought for a minute. “Why do you think he’s like that? Has that Hanji girl ever said anything about it?”  
“I don’t know why he’s like that. It’s like he’s trying to push me as far away from him as possible…” Just then Eren gasped, and almost knocked his coffee over when realization struck him. Kim startled and looked at him expectantly. “That’s exactly it…”  
“What’s it?” Kim asked, confused.   
“He’s trying to push me away.” Eren thought back to the first time he met Hanji, and remembered her saying ‘please…. don’t let him push you away… he will try, just don’t let him, okay?’. At the time, Eren hadn’t known what to do with the information, not thinking it to be that important. Hanji hadn’t been kidding, he realized now. Levi was always trying to push his two friends out the door. It really was as if he were trying to push everyone out of his life. Hanji and Erwin just wouldn’t let it happen.   
Eren lost himself in thought. What could have happened to that man to make him not want anyone in his life? Hanji said that he doesn’t mean the threats, and that he really does care, so why push everyone away? Eren came to the realization at this point that Hanji had said this to him because Eren can’t be pushed out completely like everyone else. They were roommates, and stuck together for the rest of the school year. He had a chance to get into the guy’s head, and maybe his heart, which he seems to have closed off from everyone, including his two best friends.   
Eren was pulled from his state of shock by Kim, who snapped in his face. “Hey, earth to Eren!” The glossy look left his eyes and he locked eyes with the girl, muttering a quick apology. “What the hell do you mean by that?”  
The boy explained the first time he met Hanji, and then his revelation. She sat back when he finished his story, and ran her fingers through her long ponytail, like she did whenever she was thinking deeply about something. “So, apparently you do need to get to know him. Know him enough to like him for real.” Eren nodded. “maybe it’s time you became the mature one, and stopped calling him an asshole. Even if he is one. Maybe he’ll follow suit, or maybe there’s more behind this ‘brat’ nickname than we thought. Something happened to him to make him like this, and I think you need to find out what.” Eren looked at her skeptically, and Kim answered his silent question. “Just make him trust you, and make him see that you are more than just a brat. Gain his confidence little by little. If you do that, one day, it might just slip, even if it’s just one detail or two at a time. Before long you’ll have the whole picture.”  
Eren looked at his watch, and realized he had to be getting to work, but stood up and gave Kim a big hug. “Thank you. I’ll give it a try.” Kim giggled. “What?”   
“So you really do like him, huh?” Eren groaned at his friend’s never-ending joke, and turned to walk away with a small smile gracing his face. At least he had a better idea about what was going on with his roommate. Sort of.   
A few hours later he walked in the door from work, ditching his backpack by the front door, and going to get one of the ice cream bars he had bought the day before from the freezer. As he took his first bite, Levi emerged from his room. His eyes immediately landed on the backpack on the floor. “Hey, brat.”  
“What?” Eren returned, leaving out the “asshole” he would have normally tacked onto the end of the question.  
“Pick up that damn backpack and put it away. Someone is going to trip and hurt themselves, and it looks messy.” Levi walked around the bar counter, and to the fridge, pulling out the hamburger they bought to make a shepherds pie for the two of them. Levi would rather use lamb for a shepherds pie, since that is what it’s supposed to be, but hamburger would have to suffice this time.   
Eren, trying to get on his roommate’s good side, immediately went over to pick up the backpack on the floor, taking it to his room to toss onto his bed. When he returned to the kitchen, Levi was standing at the stove, browning the meat, but turned around to raise an eyebrow at Eren. “What?” Eren asked in response to the questioning look from Levi.   
“What happened to calling me an asshole and arguing with me?” Levi asked in a monotone voice.   
Eren shrugged, picking up a knife to cut up vegetables for the pie. “I decided I’m sick of arguing over everything, and I’m also going to be the mature one and be the first one to stop using derogatory names.” Levi actually stopped stirring the meat to turn and face Eren.  
“What the hell is that supposed to mean, brat?” Eren turned to look at Levi, pausing in his chopping and raising an eyebrow. “Are you calling me immature?”  
“In this instance, maybe a little.” Eren turned to go back to his chopping.   
Levi turned back to the meat, contemplating something in his head. Eren could practically feel Levi thinking, so he stayed quiet, hoping the man would reveal something about himself. Finally, Levi took a breath like he was about to speak, and Eren got his wish, if only a crumb. It was a start. “You know I don’t actually mean it, right?” Levi stayed intently focused on the beef in the pan as he said it.   
“I know.” Eren responded quietly, hoping Levi would go on.  
He didn’t. The pair stayed silent as they finished their meal, and then ate. Eren spoke up later at the table to compliment Levi on the food. “This is really good, Levi. Thank you.” Levi grunted in acknowledgement. “It’s a shepherd’s pie, right?”  
Levi nodded. “Yeah. But we didn’t have any lamb, so I had to use beef instead.”  
Eren chuckled. “Then it’s not really a shepherd’s pie, is it? A shepherd is a sheep herder. If you used beef then it should really be called a cowboy casserole or something.” Eren laughed at his own joke, and when he looked at Levi, he could see the amusement flash in the other male’s gray eyes briefly before it was gone again, and Levi was unreadable. At least Eren felt he was getting somewhere now.


	6. Chapter 6

As much as Eren really wanted to know what Levi was hiding and what he had gone through in his life, there was no way he could find out without asking questions, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He didn’t want to end up being the one to push Levi further away, and instead chose to simply be nice to the other man, even if he continued to call him a brat. Levi never gave much away, and Eren still knew nothing about Levi’s past. At least he knew that Levi didn’t really mean it when the raven called him a brat. He didn’t know what that meant, but it was something.   
Life in the dorms got better after Eren stopped calling Levi an asshole like he meant it. Suddenly “brat” didn’t seem so bad, either. They were better able to move through their routine, and weren’t so horrible to each other or rude. Eren still hadn’t heard Levi play the piano, and Levi hadn’t seen Eren’s art, but they became more patient about it. Eren learned more about Levi and his style of playing the piano, though. The man was very determined to graduate as a pianist. He became frustrated when the music became hard, but still returned to the keyboard every time. Eren still didn’t know what, but something brought him back, and kept him motivated. It was even inspiring when Eren was stuck on a method he was supposed to be demonstrating for a class.   
One thing in Eren’s life didn’t get any easier, though. Kim still teased him relentlessly that he was head over heels in love with Levi, and now Armin was joining in on the fun, even if it was only over the phone when they talked a few times a week. Eren still rejected it, but he knew something was changing in their relationship. Especially considering that they were now coexisting quite peacefully, even though they still bickered over small, dumb things, like Eren leaving a popsicle wrapper on the counter, or making too much noise while Levi practiced. Even then, it was still better than it was. Eren didn’t despise going home after work anymore.   
September and October came and went quickly with their new routine and newfound ability to get along to a certain degree, and Halloween was here. Eren always loved Halloween. It was his chance to dress up, go drink with friends, and enjoy an evening out. He had his costume ready, and was busy doing some very white makeup with ruby red lips and a set of retractable fangs. This year, he was going to be a gay, sexy vampire. He was excited, and after finishing his makeup, went to put on his fishnet leggings, very short shorts, a V-neck black t-shirt, and his short red and black cape that was barely long enough to reach the middle of his back. Looking in the mirror, Eren knew he looked like walking sex. His legs were long and toned, and he knew other gay men would be falling all over him just for that.  
Eren smiled at himself in the mirror, trying out his fangs, using his tongue to push them down where they were visible, then pushing them back up over his gums. They wouldn’t be very comfortable for the entire night, but still better than those cheap little things that people bought in bulk at the dollar store, and these would allow him to be able to talk and eat, never having to take them out. So, better than anything else he found for fangs.   
Pleased with his outfit, Eren went out to find a bottle of water in the refrigerator, and wait for Armin to text him that he was here to pick him up. Levi, as usual, was sitting at the piano, and when Eren emerged from his room, Levi looked over to him and his eyes about popped out of their sockets. He felt his pants strain just a little, then shook his head and turned back to the keyboard, ripping his eyes away from the long legs that were currently striding across the dorm to the kitchen. “Where are you going?” Levi asked the boy.   
“Out with some friends. It’s Halloween! I gotta go have some fun!” Eren emerged from the fridge with a water bottle in his hand, closing the door, and leaned against it. He opened the cap and took a long gulp, pleased when he pulled away and there was no red lipstick on the rim. He was glad he bought the stuff that was supposed to stay on for twelve hours before wearing off if he didn’t take makeup remover to it.   
Levi didn’t answer, but watched Eren for a moment after hearing the boy’s plans for the night. Eventually, Eren became uncomfortable. “What?”  
Levi shook his head and sighed. “Just… be careful…” He spoke quietly. It was quiet for a moment, and Eren swore for a moment that Levi actually looked worried about him. “You have a designated driver, right?”  
Eren nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of driving drunk. There’s some real horror stories out there, and I don’t have any desire to be a part of one, and I don’t have a car, remember?”  
Levi looked kind of sad, and Eren thought he saw concern behind those glassy, gray orbs. “You should probably come home before midnight before the real crazies are on the streets, though.”  
Eren was right, as it turns out. Levi is concerned. He was rather confused by the raven’s concern, and it was new for the younger male. There was a reason for it, though, so Eren agreed to appease the obviously worried raven. “I’ll see what I can do. After all, I’m not the driver. But I can try my best. Thanks for worrying, though.”  
Levi nodded and stood from the bench, going to the fridge to get a water for himself. As Levi opened the bottle, Eren’s phone vibrated, and he saw the text announcing Armin’s arrival at the dorms. Eren bid a quick farewell to Levi and ran down to Armin’s car waiting in the lot. They sped off to the club everyone agreed on.   
On the way, Eren filled Armin and Mikasa in on Levi’s apparent concern. The two friends just ended up teasing Eren about never talking about anything but Levi, and Eren ended the conversation. He really would try to be home before midnight, regardless.  
Eren had a lot of fun that night, at least he did at first. He had a few drinks, then ended up on the dance floor with some guys that had been hitting on him. Suddenly, he was pulled away from them and into Jean’s arms. The taller male was holding Eren way closer than he ever wanted to be held by Jean, and tried to push him away. The blond was obviously drunk, far worse than Eren, and was trying to hit on him. After several minutes trying to push Jean away, Eren lost it, and punched Jean square in the nose. The two ended up fighting, and they were kicked out of the club by a pair of giant bouncers.   
Armin and Mikasa came out to meet him, and Marco came to pick up Jean, who was puking in the bushes. Everyone knew Marco had a thing for Jean, and that Jean felt the same, but both were just way too stubborn to admit it. Eren, still mad at Jean, decided he just wanted to go home. They couldn’t get back in the club tonight, and that’s where the rest of their friends were, so there was no point in going to another one. Armin agreed, and they drove back to Eren’s dorm.   
It was only ten when they got there, but Eren had a feeling upon arriving that Eren should go up to the room alone. Mikasa and Armin drove away confused, but Eren insisted, so they did as he asked. Eren climbed the stairs to his dorm slowly, and made his way down the hallway. When he reached his door, he took his key from his pocket and unlocked the door. When he entered his eyes trained on Levi, who was sitting at the bar with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, and his face in his hands.   
When Levi heard the door click closed, he looked up to see Eren in the entry. Eren immediately felt concern for the other male. His eyes were red, and for a second, Eren thought he was thoroughly stoned. But when he approached he realized that was stupid. Upon closer inspection, he could see the remains of tears glistening on Levi’s cheeks, and realized something very important: Levi had been crying. He was here alone, very drunk on whiskey, and crying.   
Eren knew Levi well enough to know that Levi isn’t the type to cry, but he also knew that alcohol can make someone become a totally different person. Levi will kill him in the morning if he knows that Eren saw him cry. As Eren came to this realization, fresh tears began to run down Levi’s face, and he did the last thing Eren expected. He leaned forward and pulled Eren closer, wrapping his arms around the brunet and squeezing him tight. The younger boy didn’t know what to do, but settled with hugging Levi back around the shoulders.   
They stayed like that for a moment before Eren heard Levi murmur. He didn’t catch the whole thing, but he heard a few words. “I’m glad… made it back…. I don’t know… handle losing... It’s been four years… Isabel and Farlan… So long… Damn drunk…. Crash…. In pieces…. She smiled….” It went quiet again, and Eren tried to piece together whatever it was Levi was talking about, but couldn’t. He simply didn’t have enough information. He wished he had caught more words, even if only a few more. It might have helped.   
A quiet sob escaped the drunk raven, and Eren became more concerned. He lifted Levi from the stool princess style, and took him to the couch, away from the half-empty bottle of whiskey. The raven complained, protesting about not having his bottle, demanding that Eren give it back. Eren was somehow able to convince the raven that he didn’t need it. Eren left Levi sitting on the couch to get water for him, and when he came back Levi was doing something even more unexpected than crying. He was smiling, actually smiling! At Eren! The brunet knew in that instant that the world must have turned upside down and started spinning in the wrong direction if Levi Ackerman was smiling at him.   
Eren stared at Levi for a solid three minutes before Levi said something. “You know, you’re pretty cute.” Levi slurred the sentence, and Eren realized that Levi is an honest drunk, and a crazy one. “And that costume is sexy as hell…” Levi paused as if he needed to think, then continued in a haze, “I’d tap that.”  
Eren’s eyebrow raised at the compliment-ish statement. “You wouldn’t be saying any of this right now if you weren’t drunk off your ass. Stop it, and drink this.” Eren held out a water bottle to Levi, who took it to throw it on the ground. Eren sighed, bending to pick it up.  
“Ass?” Levi could be heard behind Eren, “This ass,” Eren looked up to see Levi pointing at the only ass in the room that wasn’t his own: Eren’s, “is sexy.” Eren groaned, and Levi continued as if the noise never happened, “can I do you? It’ll be fun.”   
Eren shook his head, “No, Levi. I don’t want to die by your hand in the morning when you realize what happened.”  
“Oh come on, Brat. I’m real good in bed. You would never want to leave my bed after getting into it with me.” Levi fell off the couch trying to pull Eren down by grabbing his arm. “I’ll even give you a blowie.” Levi tried to kneel in front of Eren, but the brunet stepped back.   
Levi pouted in front of him. Eren, wanting to change the subject, knelt down in front of Levi. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be screwed by Levi, he just wanted it to happen while Levi knew what he was doing, if ever. So, he changed the subject. “Levi, who are Farlan and Isabel?” Eren watched as Levi’s face fell again, and he looked up at the bottle of whiskey that was still on the counter. “No, Levi. No more. You’ll kill yourself if you drink any more tonight.”  
“I don’t want to talk about them.” Levi looked up at Eren suddenly. “If you won’t let me drink, I want to go to bed.”  
Eren nodded. “Okay. I’ll take you. I doubt you can make it on your own.” He picked Levi up again, making sure the man had his water, and carried him off to the bedroom on the left. Eren had never been in Levi’s room, or even gotten a peak inside. When he entered he wasn’t surprised to find it immaculately clean. His bed was cleanly made, shoes were lined up perfectly in the closet on the floor, his clothes that were hanging seemed to even be organized, and there wasn’t even a speck of dust anywhere to be found.   
The brunet took Levi to the bed, setting him down on it, taking off his shoes and putting them in the empty space in the closet. He took Levi’s jeans and button-down shirt off so that the man would be able to sleep comfortably. When He finally had Levi down to nothing but boxers he only had a few seconds to admire Levi’s toned body with rippling abs and broad shoulders before he was under the sheets. Levi passed out within seconds and Eren left the room, turning the lights off as he went.  
The brunet went into the bathroom to remove his makeup and his fangs before going to his room to strip down and put on some boxers. He crawled into bed, his own buzz from the night having faded, and not feeling the slightest bit envious of the man sleeping in the room next door. He would be feeling that in the morning. Eren closed his eyes, thinking of the few words Levi had revealed to him that were just a little too quiet to catch.


	7. Chapter 7

Levi woke with a pounding headache, and when he looked at the clock he found a rather astonishing sight, it was already past 7 in the morning. He never slept that late. He groaned when he sat up and his head started to spin. Collecting his senses a little, the raven attempted to stand. When he looked down, he noticed his clothes from the day before, folded neatly on his nightstand, and his shoes were in their spot in the closet, and he was only wearing boxers. The man hoped with everything he had that he had done all of that, and that he simply didn’t remember doing it. Chances were low, though.  
The man pulled on a pair of sweatpants from his drawer, and a white tank top, then decided it was time to leave the bedroom. When he opened the door he noticed Eren, already awake, nursing a cup of coffee, and looking like he had his own hangover to deal with. Noticing the pot of coffee was still full, Levi went to fill up his own cup. Once he had his cup, and was slowly sipping it, he finally looked up at Eren, who was openly staring at him.   
Eren, who had been up for almost an hour, had been surprised when Levi came out of his room, rather than through the front door like usual on a Saturday morning. When he remembered what happened the night before, Eren couldn’t help but stare at Levi, who had practically tried to throw himself on the brunet, and had confessed to liking him. Not to mention he had said something about an event involving people he hadn’t wanted to talk about.   
When Levi looked up, noticing Eren staring at him blankly, he glared at the younger man. “What are you staring at, brat?”  
Eren started, realizing he had been staring for a good minute, then blushed, looking back down to his coffee. “W… well… last night you, uh… said some things, and… uh…”  
Levi rolled his eyes when Eren started to stammer. “Just spit it out, Brat.”  
Eren, having been interrupted in his rather choppy explanation, gaped at Levi, then quickly launched into an explanation of the night before while he had Levi’s attention. “When I walked in you were crying, and then you hugged me, and you said something about some people named Isabel and Farlan, then I took you away from your bottle of whiskey, and you were really mad about it, then you tried to get me to have sex with you, and you said I was cute, and that you’d tap that, then I put you to bed, but I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable, so I took your clothes off, but I swear I only took off everything but your boxers, and then you fell asleep.” Eren spit out everything in one breath, talking at a million miles an hour. When he looked up at Levi’s face, the man looked like he was in shock, and Eren tacked on, “Please don’t kill me.”  
Levi, not believing what he was hearing, couldn’t help but stare at Eren. “No way. I would never… I mean… what?” It was awkwardly silent as they stared at each other. “I mentioned Isabel and Farlan?”  
Eren nodded, and Levi sighed, putting his face in one of his hands. After a few minutes where Eren could easily tell that Levi was thinking really hard about something, Levi spoke up again with another question, “what did I say about them?”  
Eren smiled, glad Levi wasn’t going to kill him. “I didn’t catch much of it, actually. But you said the words Drunk, crash, and smile. Those are the ones I remember anyways. I was wondering… um… would you tell me what happened?”  
Levi looked up from his coffee to see Eren’s concerned and curious expression. Levi sighed, giving in. It was the least he could do, after all, the brunet had put him to bed last night, and comfortably. “Isabel and Farlan were my two best friends in the world. Farlan was like a brother to me, and Isabel was our little sister. We always did everything we could to protect her, and to protect each other. We would have done anything for each other, and we did, even things we shouldn’t have done. We made some major mistakes in our lives, but I don’t want to talk about that. We decided to turn our lives around, and started coming to school 6 years ago. In our second year, it was Halloween, and Isabel and Farlan went to a party. I told them they should be home before midnight when there were no drunk drivers. They blew me off and told me they would be fine. They wouldn’t be drinking anyways.   
“I didn’t go to bed that night. I just had a feeling I should be awake, so I stayed up, waiting for them. Around one in the morning, my phone rang. I saw that it was Farlan so I answered. I knew he liked Isabel and wanted to kiss her, so I answered, starting to tease him about getting some, but…” The raven took a breath, “It wasn’t Farlan on the other side of the line. It was a paramedic telling me they had been hit by a drunk driver. I was both of their emergency contact, you see. The man told me they were being rushed to the hospital in critical condition. I ran out the door with pajamas and slippers on, and rushed to the hospital. When I got there they were both in surgery. I was told I would have to wait to see them.  
“In the meantime, I had met Hanji and Erwin in a class the year before, and I called them, telling them what happened in a rushed panic. They came to the hospital to be with me at two in the morning. I can never re-pay them for that. Hours later I was told I could see them, but only because I was their only emergency contact, and they had no family. I went into their room alone, and I was told by the doctor they wouldn’t live. I probably only had enough time to say goodbye. He assured me he had done everything he could for both of them, but the damage was too extensive. I…” Levi took a deep breath, and Eren could see him holding back more tears. He wouldn’t cry, though, and Eren knew that. It was only a drunk response to a long ago memory. “It turned out to be the correct assessment. I don’t even want to remember what they looked like. They didn’t even look to be themselves. I watched Farlan take his last breath when I told him it was okay… I told him he could leave, and that I would be okay…” Levi stopped for a second to take a breath and calm himself. “When I turned around, Isabel’s eyes were open. She smiled at me before her eyes closed for good.”  
Eren sat in silence, hoping Levi would continue. He got lucky after a few more minutes of silence. “After that I became really depressed for a while. I dropped out of my classes and just went home. Hanji insisted on being by my side at all times. She slept at my house, and followed me everywhere. In fact, if it weren’t for her doing that, I’d probably be dead right now. I thought about it a few times, but every time I got close, she barged through the door, driving it back out of my mind. She and Erwin did everything they could to pull me out of my depression.   
“Finally, after two years of this, Hanji finally convinced me to come back to school and play the piano again. I did, and it’s not the same, but…” Levi stopped talking, as if trying to find the right words, “…this is what Isabel and Farlan would have wanted me to do. I can’t move on from that, and I won’t ever forget the pain of that day. But I also won’t forget the look on their faces when I would play the piano. It was the only time they were ever quiet. They always encouraged it, so I have to finish, as much for them as for myself.”  
Suddenly everything made sense for Eren. Levi wouldn’t let anyone close to him for fear of losing them. He had been through a hell of an experience, and Eren felt bad for him. He didn’t want to let anyone too close, because if something happened to them it would be easier to distance himself from the tragedy. This was why, even though Levi had admitted to liking Eren, he would never be the first to act. If anything were to ever progress, Eren would have to be the first to make any kind of move. This was what Hanji was talking about, that Levi would try to push him away, and the word “brat” was his way of doing so.   
“I understand. I can’t say I know what that feels like. I’ve never lost someone that close to me. But I do know that this can’t be easy for you. It’s only been two years since you lost them. If I had to guess, they are probably more like family to you than your actual family. Levi, I want you to know you don’t have to go through it alone. When you struggle with emotions, you can let them out. Holding it in doesn’t help anyone or anything. You have friends to confide in. Hanji and Erwin want nothing more than to help you, and I’m sure they would both jump through hoops if it meant it would help you. They aren’t the only ones either. I want to help you, too. However you need it."  
Levi nodded, not saying one way or another. Eren hoped that the man would take what he said to heart, but then Levi suddenly seemed to come to another realization. “Hold up. You just said that I tried to have sex with you and that I said you were cute. Did I really do those things?”  
Eren blushed furiously and nodded timidly. Levi sighed and groaned at the same time, sounding really exasperated in the process. “No way.”  
“You did.”  
“You didn’t actually let that happen did you?” Levi glanced down at Eren’s bare chest.  
Eren looked annoyed. “NO! I obviously wasn’t going to get into that kind of situation while you were drunk!” Eren paused for a moment. “Was it true, though?”  
“Was what true?” Levi eyed Eren over the rim of his mug of coffee.   
“That you think I’m cute, and that you would, as you said, ‘tap that’?” Eren flashed Levi a cheeky smile.   
Eren thought for just a moment that he could see a faint tint of red on Levi’s pale cheeks, but maybe he was imagining things. He hesitated for a moment before giving a quiet, “of course not.” But he wasn’t fooling Eren so easily.   
“You hesitated.”  
“No.”   
“Yes you did.”  
“I did not!” Levi finished his coffee really quickly and put the mug in the sink, without washing it to Eren’s surprise, and was ready to storm away to his room, but Eren stopped him.   
“Wait, I’m sorry. You don’t have to leave. I won’t tease you anymore, I promise.”  
Levi turned back around, groaning a little, and neither said anything for a minute, then Levi turned around to sit at the bench in front of the keyboard, still facing Eren. Eren took another sip of his coffee, and almost spit it back out when he heard Levi’s next comment. “Thank you.”  
After Eren swallowed, he asked, “for what?”   
“For not letting me do something stupid last night. For putting me to bed and making sure I was comfortable. For listening…” Levi paused for a beat, as if thinking of what to say, “I have never had someone listen to me like that. Hanji tries, but she can’t help but interrupt, and Erwin can’t seem to hold still. I’ve never had someone who was willing to listen and try to really understand what I feel.” Levi looked away from Eren with a barely-there blush on his cheeks. “So thank you.”   
Eren’s head was spinning, and not just from the hangover. He was sure the world had turned upside down, because Levi Ackerman was thanking him, and was serious about it. The surprise didn’t last long however, because Levi’s next comment set the world back to normal. “You’re still just a brat though.”  
Eren smirked, “will you ever stop calling me that?”  
“No.”  
“Why?”  
“Because that’s what you are.”  
“Whatever.” Eren turned on his stool to finish his coffee, and Levi spun himself around on the bench to face the keyboard. He scanned the notes on the sheets he left there the day before, and had an idea.   
“Hey, brat.” Levi spoke up, addressing the brunet who had just finished his coffee, and was placing his mug in the sink with Levi’s.  
“What?”  
“Are you still interested in hearing me play the piano?”  
Eren spun around to gape at Levi like a fish before his face lit up. “Hell, yeah!”  
“Do you remember our deal?” Levi turned his head to see Eren’s excited face.   
“Yes, but I won’t show you until I’ve heard at least one song.”   
Levi hummed in amusement. “They aren’t songs on the piano. We call them ‘pieces’. So you should have said, ‘until I’ve heard at least one “piece”.’”  
Eren huffed. “Okay, whatever. I won’t show you my art until I’ve heard at least one ‘piece’.” Eren rolled his eyes at Levi’s shake of his head.   
“Go get that sketchbook you were drawing in that day, I want to see what you were drawing. After I play, of course. We are going for a walk to the music building, so put some clothes on. We are leaving in fifteen minutes.”   
Eren didn’t need to be told twice. He ran to his room, and changed faster than he had ever changed in his entire life, then ran to the bathroom to brush through his hair really quickly and brush his teeth. He then went to dig up his sketchbook from somewhere in his room. He returned to the living room just in time to see Levi gathering his music from the keyboard, fully dressed and looking like he never had a hangover in the first place. Just like always, Eren was blown away by how attractive his roommate was.   
Levi looked up at Eren and pointed at the door. He didn’t even need to speak for Eren to know what he wanted, and they both walked out the door. As Levi checked to make sure the door was locked, Eren remembered something. “Hey, didn’t you tell Hanji and Erwin you would play for them when you finally played for me?”  
Levi groaned. “Oh, yeah. I guess I did.” He thought for a moment, running his hand through his raven locks. “Whatever. I don’t care. What they don’t know won’t hurt them. I’ll just play for them another day.”   
Eren laughed at his roommate. “Hanji might kill you if she finds out.”  
“I can deal with the crazy ass woman. It wouldn’t be the first time, anyways.” Levi started walking down the hallway to the stairs that lead down to the front of the building. Eren had to run a little to keep up, and was surprised at how fast Levi could move with how much shorter he was than the brunet. He almost laughed out loud at the thought, but decided he didn’t want to die just yet, so kept it to himself.   
A few minutes later the pair entered the music building, and climbed the stairs to the second floor. The hallway was lined with doors on both sides, with classrooms behind each one. In most of the classrooms were pianos. Eren thought perhaps they would be stopping at one of these classrooms, but Levi simply walked past all of them. Confused, Eren almost piped up to ask why when Levi turned to the door at the very end of the hallway. When they entered, Eren found himself in another very long hallway with more doors, but these doors were much closer together and didn’t have windows in them like the classrooms. The brunet could faintly hear the sound of many different instruments behind each door they passed, and quickly realized that these were practice rooms set aside for the students.   
They kept walking for a minute until Levi stopped at a door that had a big sign on it that said: “Piano Performance Majors Only”. Eren looked over at Levi after reading the sign, who simply stated, “That’s me,” and input a pin into a number pad and the door unlocked. Levi entered the room, and held the door open for Eren. The brunet entered the room, and Levi closed the door behind him, pushing a button on the handle. “Pushing this button tells other students that this room is occupied and that they need to find a different one by displaying a red light on the keypad,” Levi explained when Eren gave him a curious look.   
Eren turned to look around the room. It was fairly small, but fit a glossy black baby grand piano, and a couple of chairs and a music stand. Eren stood by the door awkwardly until Levi gestured to a chair by the piano. “You can sit there. It will be more fun for you if you can see my hands, going by the way you watch my hands every time I play on the keyboard.”  
Eren chuckled at the statement. “Well, yeah. It’s kind of mesmerizing to watch the way your fingers move. It’s almost like they are dancing.”  
Levi shook his head and approached the piano, Eren close behind, hugging his sketchbook to his chest. Levi sat down, placing his music on the piano before turning to Eren. “Any requests?”  
“You take requests?” Eren asked, impressed.   
“Yes, depending on what it is.” Levi answered, but didn’t give Eren much of a chance to respond before he turned and started playing. Eren was impressed by the sound that came from the piano. It wasn’t a song, or a “piece” as Levi had been so specific about, but a simple scale. Despite being a very simple thing, Eren still gaped at the way Levi’s fingers danced across the keys, leaving behind nothing but the beautiful tones of the glossy instrument that filled most of that tiny room.   
Levi turned to Eren when he finished his warm up scales and asked again, “now do you have any requests?” Eren just gaped like a fish, and Levi shook his head, sighing. “Never mind. I don’t think I need to do much to impress you if a simple warm-up has you gaping at me like a dead fish.” Levi thought for a moment. “I have the perfect piece to play for you. It’s called ‘The Reluctant Heroes’.”  
The raven turned back to the piano, and Eren sat forward in his chair in anticipation. Levi placed his hands on the keys and started to play a melody the brunet had never heard before. The sound was incredible, and the way Levi played it made Eren want to melt. Levi wasn’t the kind to show much emotion, and his face was blank, but if Eren closed his eyes he could feel everything Levi was feeling in that moment. The music held more emotion than Eren thought one person could ever be capable of. He could feel Levi’s sadness, and pain, but at the same time, happiness, and a sort of relief that Eren didn’t really understand.   
When the music ended, Eren opened his eyes and looked at Levi, who was looking back at him. The raven quickly looked away and back at the keys. “What did you think?”  
Eren sat up a little more in his chair, and leaned forward, resting his head on the side of the piano, closing his eyes. He hummed a little and answered, “I loved it. You should play another one.”  
Levi, knowing Eren couldn’t see him with his eyes closed, smiled, just a little. He lifted his hands again to place them on the keys. “That one was an arrangement of a piece that I did last year. This next one is called Echoes. It’s a composition of my own that I finished just before the start of this semester.”  
Levi once again let his fingers sink into the keys, playing another beautiful melody that Eren instantly fell in love with. Eren decided he could have listened to Levi play the piano forever. This piece seemed to contain even more emotion than the first one, and the brunet soaked up every note until the very end when Levi once again removed his hands from the keys.   
Both boys sat in silence for a moment before Levi finally broke the quiet atmosphere. “Your turn. I want to see some of your work.”  
Eren opened his eyes to see Levi looking at him expectantly. The brunet sighed, handing over the black book full of Eren’s own drawings. Levi turned to the first page and flipped through a few pages before stopping at the image of the keyboard that sat against the wall in their shared dorm room. “These are really good.” Eren realized quickly what was on the next page, and tried to take the book away, but Levi had already turned the page to see himself, playing his silent piano over the paper in his lap, a pencil between his teeth. Eren was proud of the drawing, but that didn’t mean he wanted Levi to see it. A hint of surprise flashed across Levi’s mercury colored eyes before disappearing again, and he turned to the brunet who was blushing furiously. “Is this what you were so focused on that day.”  
Eren nodded shyly, and Levi nodded back, looking back down at the paper. “Well it’s really good.” It was quiet again as Levi started to flip through more pages of the book. He thought as he looked, and finally turned to Eren, handing the book back to him. “You don’t still need a model for your final project do you?” the raven inquired of the brunet.  
Eren’s head snapped up to look at Levi. “yeah, I do actually. Are you offering?”  
Levi scoffed. “No, I was just going to say that maybe I would think about it.”  
Eren grinned from ear to ear. “Really? That would be awesome if you did. You are seriously the perfect model!”   
Levi scratched the back of his head, opening the binder on the piano to the first page. “Well, don’t count on it, brat. I need to think on it.” He placed his hands on the keys once again, and started to play, ending the conversation. Eren sat next to Levi in the music hall for over an hour, bickering lightly, and showing off each other’s work, before they decided to go back to their dorm. Eren, though he was scared of Levi when the day started, by the end of the day, felt like he knew Levi more personally, and couldn’t wait to make a little more progress as time went on.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren coaxes a little more information from Levi, and a short road trip!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long guys! I decided to watch One Piece again, and 848 episodes later I'm still not sorry about it. I seriously love One Piece, guys. It's a horrible addiction. Anyways, happy reading, and I love comments! They keep me motivated, which is sorely needed.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, “Shit”. Eren panicked as he watched the bowl fall from the counter to the floor of the kitchen in his and Levi’s shared dorm room. The glass shattered as it hit the tile, and it’s contents, milk and Cheerios, splashed all over the floor and even up onto the lower cabinets. Eren stared at the mess, panicking internally. His panic only worsened when he looked up to see Levi glaring at him from the door to his bedroom.   
“What happened, Brat?” Levi sounded a little too calm for Eren’s liking. This is what he liked to call “scary-calm”.  
Eren stuttered, “w… well… I…” the brunet took a large breath when he realized that Levi was becoming frustrated, and spit it out. “I turned to get a banana and when I turned back around I didn’t realize my bowl of cereal was so close to me and I elbowed it off the counter. Then it broke and the cereal has spilled everywhere.” Eren frowned down at the mess.   
Levi sighed, pushing himself from his place leaning against the door frame to walk around into the kitchen. He exhaled sharply when he saw the mess, and addressed Eren, “I’ll help you clean this up. Why don’t you go get the mop from the closet to work on the mess on the floor. I’ll get a rag and start wiping the cupboards.” Eren nodded, rushing to do what Levi said.  
As the two worked in silence on cleaning Eren’s mess, the brunet couldn’t help but think how far they had come since the first day they met. They went from Levi doing all of the cleaning and yelling at Eren for making any kind of mess, to working side by side, with limited yelling, and Levi trusting Eren to clean, and clean it the right way.   
It had been months since that first day, and they were approaching Thanksgiving. Midterms had just passed, and Eren couldn’t believe how fast time was flying by. Levi no longer bothered to put headphones in when he played on the keyboard, and Eren was frequently asked by the older male about his drawings and projects. Surprisingly, Levi had also agreed to let Eren use him as a model for his final project for the end of the semester, albeit reluctantly.   
Eren was happy to say the two had made good progress since that first few weeks when they did nothing but call each other names and bicker. The thought had Eren smiling as he mopped the milk-splattered tile floor. “What are you smiling about, brat?”   
Eren looked up at the sound of Levi’s voice, “huh?”  
Levi made an annoyed noise, “You spilling your milk and cereal shouldn’t be a reason to smile.”  
“Oh,” Eren processed the question fully this time, “no, that’s not it at all.”  
“You know what, never mind. I don’t need to know how your brain works.” Eren could feel his face heat up and he mentally berated himself for blushing over absolutely nothing. Why was he blushing anyways?  
When they finished up and put the cleaning supplies away, Eren fixed himself a new bowl of Cheerios, and this time without spilling. When he had his breakfast he joined Levi at the table where the older man was writing in a notebook, probably filled with manuscript paper. Eren decided to start light conversation. “So, Levi. What are you doing for the Thanksgiving break? Any exciting plans?”  
Levi glanced up at Eren with his eyes, not bothering to fully look up and away from the notes scrawled on the paper, “nothing.” Eren stopped his action of bringing the spoon to his mouth about midway and simply stared back at the raven who had gone back to whatever he was doing. When Eren didn’t say anything, or even move, Levi finally sat back, putting his pencil down and giving Eren a fairly concerning glare. “What?”  
Eren put the spoon back in his bowl, “you don’t have any plans? Are you not going to see family? Head home for the week? Have dinner with someone you are grateful for?”  
Levi cocked an eyebrow, “no, I have none of those things, not any worth mentioning anyways.”  
Eren looked confused, “you mean you have no family to visit over the holidays?”   
Levi simply shook his head, “I told you; none worth mentioning.”  
“Don’t tell me you spend your summers here, too!” Eren looked aghast at the mere mention of the idea of attending school over the summer.  
The raven rolled his eyes, “of course not, brat. I have a house I go back to, but it’s not like it’s anything special. It’s just a building with furniture. A place to sleep and nothing more. It’s not exactly a home, not anymore.”  
“But it used to be.” It wasn’t a question.  
“Perhaps.”  
“Did you live there with Isabel and Farlan?” Eren asked quietly.   
Levi, slightly taken aback, nodded in response.   
It was quiet for a minute until Eren had a new, burning question, “Do you not have anyone else that is important to you? I mean, what about Hanji or Erwin?”  
Levi sighed, closing his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, Eren caught a hint of sadness before it disappeared, like all of Levi’s emotions did. “I usually spend holidays with both of them, but this year they are both going elsewhere. Hanji is visiting family on the other side of the world, and Erwin, I guess, is headed to Germany, Switzerland, and a few other countries in that area for a vacation with his new fiancé. I don’t have the money for any kind of trip right now, so I’m staying here.”  
“So you really are spending Thanksgiving alone?” Eren looked slightly appalled by the idea.  
Levi nodded again, “yes, and probably Christmas, too.”  
Eren’s jaw dropped, “You have got to be kidding me! Christmas, too! That’s just crazy. No one should have to spend Christmas alone!”  
“And what exactly am I supposed to do about that, Brat? I can’t just suddenly have a family worth mentioning or magic my friends half way across the world, and I can’t go with them, either, so I have no choice but to stay right where I am.” Levi spat angrily and went back to writing in his notebook.   
Eren was suddenly very glad it was Saturday and he wouldn’t have any classes or work to go to. He decided, once he was finished with his cereal, to call Kim and maybe meet her for lunch. The excitable girl quickly agreed to the meeting, and before either of them knew it they were in their usual booth at the café, eating sandwiches and cookies, and drinking delicious lattes.   
Eren relayed to his friend, upon request, what he had found out about Levi’s holiday plans. Kim was just as appalled by Levi’s plans as Eren was, and they wanted to do something about it. Of course Kim didn’t know Levi, so there was nothing she could do personally, but she could help Eren plot something still.   
Eren, having a very kind family, decided he would ask his dad if Levi could tag along for the week, and Kim whole-heartedly agreed with the idea. The brunette sat on the edge of her seat as Eren dialed his dad’s phone number. The phone rang twice before he heard the familiar voice of his dad. “Eren, how are you, son?”  
“I’m good! How’s everything going?” Eren’s dad was a stern, but very kind man named Grisha. The man was one of the best doctors in the area, and, in Eren’s opinion, the best dad ever. He was always around when Eren needed him most. He would drop anything for his son. Eren knew he could tell his dad anything. When the brunet came out as gay at the age of fifteen, Grisha didn’t even bat an eye. He simply gave his son a hug and told him that he loved him no matter what. Eren had a pretty cool dad.   
“I’m well, Eren. Now, what can I do for you? Do you need something?” Now, Eren felt a bit guilty in this moment, because he didn’t call his dad as often as he probably should, so of course Grisha would automatically think that Eren needed something if he was calling. Ouch.   
“Who says I need anything?” Eren bit his lip, waiting for a response.   
“Out with it, Eren. I’m not stupid, and I know my own son very well.” Grisha replied, though Eren could tell he was teasing him, but serious at that same time.   
“Oh, fine. My roommate has no plans for the holidays. He literally has no family or friends he can be with, so I was wondering if I could invite him to come spend it with us?”   
“Of course, Eren. I would love to meet your roommate, and I’m sure your mother would be thrilled. Just give us a call to let us know if he is coming for sure.”   
Eren grinned ear to ear, though he knew that would be the response going into this. “Okay! Thanks, dad!” The pair exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up, and Eren smiled at Kim across the table. “It looks like Levi will even be my roommate off campus.”  
The pair finished their lunch, and Eren hurried back to the dorms. He entered the room where Levi was sitting in his spot on the love seat watching TV. Eren joined him, sitting on the other sofa. When a commercial break came on, Eren spoke up. “Hey, Levi.”  
“What, Brat?”  
Eren steeled himself for complete rejection, “If you really don’t have plans for the holidays, why don’t you come spend it with me and my family?”  
Levi turned to face him, “What?”  
“Even if you don’t have a family, you can always share mine, if you want. They are super awesome. My mom is the best cook in the world, and will make the juiciest, most delicious turkey you have ever had, and she will probably make a home-made apple pie, too. My dad is pretty cool, too. He’s the one that has always been there for me when I’ve had questions or just needed someone to talk to. I think if you and my sister had a chance to get to know each other, you would actually get along really well.” Levi looked completely baffled, and for the first time Eren may have made Levi completely speechless.  
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but like I said before, no one should have to spend the holidays alone. You are welcome to come spend the Christmas break with us, too.” When Eren stopped speaking, Levi just stared back with the TV still speaking softly in the background.  
The raven looked away, “are you serious?”  
Eren nodded, leaning forward a little on the couch, “Of course. I don’t want you to have to be alone.”  
Levi sighed, “I would like that, but I really don’t want to impose on your family.”  
“Are you kidding, Levi? My family is super chill, and besides, I already asked my dad if I could invite you, and he said that he and my mom both really want to meet you. They are already planning on you. Don’t worry about it!”   
Levi couldn’t bring himself to look back at Eren, “Thank you. I can’t really turn down an offer like that…” It was quiet for a moment, and Eren looked to Levi in slight shock. He had expected to be shot down faster than he could even bring up the subject. Not the case it seems, but Levi could only be gracious for a short moment, as it turns out, “But I won’t forget that you are a brat just because you invited me to your family’s home.”  
Eren laughed boisterously, “I wouldn’t expect anything less!”   
Eren was thrilled that Levi would be joining him for the holidays. It was more than just being kind, because Eren wanted to see what Levi was like outside of the school setting. This would be a chance for the brunet to learn lots more about his current roommate. The next week couldn’t pass quickly enough as the two went to classes, and Eren went to work like normal. Of course, he still met Kim every day for lunch at their usual booth in the café down the street.   
Finally, Friday came around, and Eren was meeting Kim for the last time until after the break. They sat in their booth, chatting idly about nothing in particular, switching topics frequently and drinking their coffee. The weather was starting to chill, and the café was a little more packed than normal with students no longer sitting at the tables outside due to the chilled wind that swept across the campus.   
Eren was having a harder time than usual focusing on his conversation with his new friend, and Kim could tell, “earth to Eren!”  
For the third time, the brunet snapped out of a trance and looked back up. “Huh?”   
“Gosh, Eren, what’s with you today? Too excited about spending an entire week at Levi’s side?” The girl was relentless about teasing Eren about Levi when she got going. Eren hoped to avoid that scenario.  
“No, heavens no. The man is an asshole. I only invited him to be nice.”  
Kim made a buzzing sound, “wrong answer, my friend. You are so head over heals for this man you keep calling an ‘asshole’. You know you are, and don’t try to tell me otherwise.”   
“No I’m not.”  
“Yes you are.”  
“NO!”  
“Well if you’re not, then you are well on your way.”  
Eren blushed, “What the hell makes you think that?”  
“You won’t stop daydreaming, and you talk about him almost nonstop. It’s always ‘Levi this’, or ‘Levi that’, or ‘You won’t believe what Levi said’.” Kim lowered her voice in an attempt to match Eren’s baritone.   
“I’m so not like that!” Eren pouted at the girl.   
“You so are, though, and the best part is that you don’t even realize it.” Kim laughed at Eren’s expression, which was bordering between anger and pouting.   
“Whatever. I gotta go. I told Levi I would be back in time for us to leave by two. If I’m not back in the next few minutes he might chop my dick off or something.”   
Kim giggled, “See, I told you.”  
“Oh, stop it. I will see you after the break. Have a good Thanksgiving!” Eren grabbed his backpack and exited the shop, walking back to the dorms in the cool fall wind. When he entered the dorm he was glad everything he needed was already packed. He would just need to get a few things from his backpack, and he was ready.   
As Eren closed the front door Levi came out of his room with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. They were both aware that they would be staying at Eren’s house until the next Saturday, so they took enough clothes and other necessities for about 8 to 9 days. Levi didn’t seem like he was overly thrilled to be going, but Eren thought maybe he was just glad he wouldn’t have to spend his Thanksgiving alone, so he didn’t complain. The two boys were ready to go within the next ten minutes, and they left the apartment, turning off the lights as they went.  
Eren didn’t have a car, so Levi had offered to drive so that no one would have to go pick them up. Eren was rather excited about the two hour car ride in Levi’s sleek, black Audi. He had only been in it once, but he could still vividly remember the soft leather and beautiful stereo system that he never actually got to hear. He would even get to ride shotgun this time. The two threw their bags into the trunk and settled themselves in front.   
The vehicle purred to life as Levi pushed a button to start it. Eren was surprised that there was no key involved in starting it, and spent the first two minutes in the car examining the interior while Levi pulled out of the resident parking lot. When they were on the road, Eren asked, “Hey, why don’t we listen to some music?”  
“That’s fine. Choose whatever you want. I’m not picky,” Levi reached out to turn the stereo on, and the smooth notes of a piano filled the car. Levi had been listening to the classical station last, it turns out. “You can Bluetooth your phone if you want. It would be better than having commercials every 20 minutes.”  
Eren pulled his phone out of his back pocket and set to work on setting up his Bluetooth with the car’s stereo system. When he had finished that he turned on his favorite playlist. It was a safe choice for music because it had a wide variety, and nothing too extreme in any direction. No hard rock, no unintelligible rap, or anything else like it. Very alternative. The music played at a low volume while the two men conversed over trivial things, and Eren gave Levi directions when needed. Once in a while, though, Eren would hear a song that he couldn’t resist singing to, and the music would go up while he sang his heart out.   
Eren knew he didn’t have much when it came to vocals, but he put his heart and soul into it anyways. On about the fifth song like this, Eren came to a realization. Levi had once mentioned that his minor was voice. And if Eren could put two and two together, which he could, that would mean Levi could sing. It then became Eren’s mission to get Levi to sing, if only a little. His singing became more exciting as he pointed at Levi and danced in his place. Levi shook his head.  
Finally, Believer came on, by Imagine Dragons, and there was no way Levi could use any kind of excuse with Imagine Dragons. Everyone knows them and their songs. Eren begged Levi to sing with him, “Come on, Levi. Just one song! And don’t you dare tell me you don’t know this song!”  
“No.”  
“Aww, you’re no fun…” Eren pouted and refused to go back to having fun, until finally, at the last verse, he could hear a new voice joining in:  
Last things last  
By the grace of the fire and the flames  
You’re the face of the future the blood in my veins  
Oh-ooo-  
The blood in my veins, Oh-ooo-  
But they never did, ever lived,  
Ebbin’ and flowin’, inhibited, limited  
‘til it broke open then rained down  
It rained down, like…  
Eren, completely thrilled by having heard Levi’s truly incredible vocals, joined in for the chorus, and they sang until the last note. When the song ended, Eren was practically vibrating in his seat. Levi was finally starting to open up to him little by little.   
Eren was able to get Levi to sing a few more songs with him in the time that remained of their car ride, and Eren could swear he saw a small smile on his face more than once on the way. Eren was actually kind of sad when they pulled up to his childhood home and their time like this would be over. He just hoped he could get Levi to open up a little bit more in their week together for the holiday. They were making good progress, after all.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We hear more about Levi's past, and finally, what you all have been waiting for!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight trigger warning for mentions of multiple kinds of abuse. Just mentions, though. Nothing serious, and no details. Other than that, Happy Reading! Don't forget to leave Kudos and a comment!

Eren and Levi pulled up to Eren’s childhood home, and they parked in Eren’s old spot in the driveway from his high school days when his parents had bought him a cheap car that barely lasted through graduation. When the car died they had told him that the next one he would have to buy himself. He still hadn’t gotten that far, using buses and walking where he could, or bribing Mikasa or Armin to take him places. Mikasa’s car wasn’t there, so he was able to assume she hadn’t gotten there yet, either.   
The roommates stepped out of the car, retrieving their bags from the trunk, and heading up the front steps. Levi trailed behind Eren a bit, and the brunet couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Levi was a little nervous. After all, he didn’t know anyone he was about to stay with for the next week. Then again, maybe Eren was just being paranoid.   
The brunet opened the door and the pair stepped inside, taking off their shoes in the entryway. Eren looked back at Levi, who was looking at a picture on the wall. It was the last family portrait they had taken before Mikasa and Eren went off to college two and a half years earlier. The raven pointed at Mikasa in the picture. “I met her.”   
Eren nodded. “Yeah. On move-in day. You were set on not saying a word to either of us unless it was degrading in some way.”   
Levi looked at Eren, “No, that’s…”  
The raven was never able to finish as Eren’s mom came around the corner, “Eren! My sweet boy!” The woman pulled Eren into a crushing hug, then held him at arm length, “You are so skinny! Well, we will get you fattened up this week!” She then turned to the Raven, “and you must be Levi.” Levi nodded and held out a hand for a handshake. “Oh, honey, no handshakes from me in this house. Hugs only!” Then she wrapped Levi up in a hug similar to the one she gave Eren. The brunet stifled a laugh as Levi blushed in her grasp. Levi glared murderously at the choking sound Eren made.   
When the woman finally let him go, Levi spoke up for the first time since seeing her, “You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Jaeger.”   
“Why thank you, but you can just call me Carla, okay?” Levi nodded. “Alright, boys. Eren why don’t you take Levi upstairs and you two can drop off your bags. Levi will be staying in the room next to yours. Once you have done that, show him around, then I could use some help finishing up tonight’s dinner, okay?”   
Eren nodded, “Okay, ma.”   
Carla disappeared back around the corner to the kitchen. Eren showed Levi up the stairs, and once they started climbing, Eren spoke to Levi, “Sorry about my mom. She just likes to love everybody.”  
“It’s alright. She’s nice.” Levi paused while Eren opened a door and threw his bag inside, then closed it and kept walking until the next door. He opened it and showed Levi inside. It was a perfect little spare room. A queen sized bed took up a large portion of the center of the room, and a small desk was placed in the corner. There was a closet, but it looked to be empty.   
“Yeah, my mom is pretty cool. She can be kind of overbearing at first, but once you warm up to her, she really is awesome,” Eren seemed to be reminiscing about something as he went quiet and had a small smile on his face. Levi sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for Eren to continue, as he always does. Soon enough, Eren laughed lightly and continued on, “When I first came out I was fifteen. I was helping my mom make cookies when I told her. She didn’t even bat an eye and said, and I quote, ‘that’s nice, now hand me the chocolate chips’.” Eren laughed, “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I half expected some questioning, or… I don’t know… anything but that. She’s been nothing but supportive ever since.  
“And my dad. He’s been just as good about it. When I told him he simply hugged me and told me he loved me.” Eren came to sit by Levi on the bed, who watched Eren intently, recalling his own story. “I feel like I’m pretty lucky. Not everyone gets full support from their parents no matter what they do.”  
Levi nodded and looked down at his hands folded in his lap. “You are very lucky. When I came out to my uncle he hit me. I hadn’t even told him I was gay, I just told him I thought maybe I liked guys, too. I thought maybe I was bi at first. Anyways, He thought he could beat the evil out of me.”  
“Gay is not evil, and that’s horrible. I’m so sorry.” Eren touched Levi lightly on the shoulder, “you won’t get any of that here, I promise. My family is very accepting of everyone, no matter what. But were you raised by your uncle?”  
Levi nodded again, “yeah. He wasn’t much of a guardian, though. He was a drunk and abusive. Both my brother and I got out of that house as soon as we had the chance.”  
“Brother?” Eren inquired.   
“Yeah, I have a brother. I don’t know much about him anymore though.” Levi thought for a moment, “he could be dead for all I know. Though probably not. He stops to see me when he’s around, which isn’t often, but at least I know he thinks about me on occasion, or I would never see him.”  
“That’s good at least.”  
“Yeah.”  
“Enough with the serious talk. Come on, I’ll show you around.” Levi followed Eren around the house as he pointed out where everything was. The house was not only beautiful as Levi had previously observed, but huge, too. There was a theater in the basement, and a game room with a pool table and a ping pong table. The top floor had a small library and a big room that looked out over the expansive back yard. The bedrooms were mostly located on the second floor. There was a formal sitting room in the front of the house, and Levi was drawn to the gorgeous looking Steinway baby grand piano sitting in the corner. Eren told him he could play it later, and that his mom would die to hear someone play something on it. On the other side of the entry way from the sitting room was a closed, glass door. Eren explained that it was his dad’s home office. In the back of the house was the last area with a dining room, casual living room with a giant TV, and the kitchen all in one big room. The house really was gorgeous all the way through.   
The pair approached the kitchen, where Carla was listening to music coming from a stereo on the counter top and dancing a little as she added ingredients to a salad. She turned to see the duo, and set them to work on different things. Levi was in charge of the potatoes and Eren was making the sauce for the chicken that was in the oven. Levi hummed appreciatively at the aromas floating around the space as he thinly sliced potatoes and put them in a pan with butter and seasonings. This was bound to be a delicious meal.   
They were just about done cooking when a door opened just across from the kitchen, and a kind-looking man walked through. Carla approached the man and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Eren followed soon after, giving his dad a hug. The man then approached Levi who was drying his hands on a towel after washing. “You must be Levi, correct?”  
“Yes, sir.” Levi nodded, shaking the man’s hand.   
“Oh, no need to call me ‘sir’, Levi. Grisha will do just fine.” The man smiled kindly, and patted Levi on the shoulder. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Eren talks about you more than I think even he realizes.” The man laughed and Eren protested with a groan of “Dad” while holding the “a” longer than necessary.   
Grisha ignored the complaint and turn to his wife, “Dinner smells amazing, darling. What are we having?”   
“Chicken. Now go change so we can eat. Mikasa should be here any time now. We will eat as soon as she gets here.”   
“Yes, dear.” Grisha kissed Carla on the cheek and went to do as he was told.   
Eren leaned over to Levi, still stirring the sauce on the stove, “Dad’s a doctor at Trost hospital. He works in the emergency room. He’s super smart.”  
Carla heard this and spoke from where she was pulling the chicken out of the oven, “You are very smart, too, Eren. He’s where you get it from.”  
“Yeah, but I’m not as smart as he is.”  
“Not true, Eren. He has put in thousands of hours studying and learning. You could be just as smart or smarter than he is if you were to do the same.” Carla didn’t sound like she was chastising Eren, just stating the facts.   
Eren shrugged, letting it go, and the conversation ended. The trio moved the food from the pans to platters and placed them on the table. They finished setting the places at the table and right on time. Mikasa walked in the door and Grisha came down the stairs.   
Mikasa got a giant Carla hug, and a smaller, but still loving hug from Grisha, and they all sat down to eat.   
Mikasa didn’t seem to notice that Levi was there for a few minutes until she looked up and across the table where Levi was sitting next to Eren. “What are you doing here?”  
Levi raised an eyebrow, and was about to answer, but Eren cut in first, “He didn’t have any plans for Thanksgiving, and was going to spend it alone, so I invited him along.”  
Mikasa scrunched her face in confusion and pointed at the pair, “I thought you two hated each other.”   
Eren laughed, “we did at first, but I actually don’t hate him anymore. I can’t say I like him either, but…” Levi sent a glare sideways to Eren, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Don’t kill me. I actually don’t mind having him around anymore. I have started to understand him, and we actually seem to get along okay now.” Eren paused, “most of the time, anyways.”   
Levi rolled his eyes at his roommate, but stayed quiet, content to let Eren speak for him at the moment. The conversation moved to other topics, but Mikasa kept eyeing him. Grisha spoke up, asking Levi a question. “So, what is your major, Levi?”  
“I’m a piano composition and performance major.”   
“Very nice. Is that a double major, then?”  
Levi nodded, “Yes, it is.”  
“That’s difficult to do. You must be talented.”  
“I think I’m alright.”  
“Oh, don’t be modest, Levi,” Eren interjected, “You’re an incredible pianist. I could listen to you play all day long.”  
“That almost sounded like a love confession, Eren.” Carla giggled.  
“Mom, stop. But if you want to hear about love confessions, I’ve got a good story for you.”  
“Eren, no.” Levi already knew where this was going.   
“Eren, yes,” Eren continued anyways, well aware that he might turn up missing some limbs later. It would be worth it. “I came home from Halloween this year to find Levi completely drunk off his ass, and he told me I was cute. Then he wanted to ‘tap that’,” Eren held up his hands and used air quotes, “as he said. He even said I have a nice ass.”  
Grisha and Carla laughed, and Levi rounded on Eren, “I did not!”  
Eren chuckled, “Oh yes you did.” Levi groaned. “Just admit it, you’re attracted to me.”  
“I would never say something like that! And I am not!” Levi speared a potato with his fork and popped it in his mouth.   
“Just because you were blackout drunk and don’t remember it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. You are a very honest drunk, and your true self comes out. You know as well as I do that those weren’t the only things you said that night.”   
Levi’s face went dark, “Don’t you dare say anything else.”  
Eren looked Levi dead in the eyes, “Never.”  
The look on Levi’s face softened, and he looked surprised. That conversation ended there, and Levi quietly turned back to his food. Eren could practically hear the gears turning in Levi’s head.   
The rest of the dinner went smoothly, except that Mikasa wouldn’t stop glaring at Levi. He noticed, but didn’t say anything, not wanting to cause any more problems. When dinner was over Grisha and Mikasa were on dishes, so Levi and Eren were excused. Levi went to the back door to go outside, and Eren followed.   
Eren found Levi sitting on the back patio facing the yard, clearly still thinking deeply about something. Eren joined him, pulling up another chair. Neither of them spoke for a long time.  
When the silence finally broke, it was Levi who broke it, “What did you mean when you said ‘Never’?”  
Eren looked sideways at Levi, “Isn’t it obvious? That is a very personal part of your life, and I would never share that without your permission, and even then it’s iffy. If you want to share that story it should be your choice, and you should be the one to do it.”  
One slim eyebrow rose, “You mean you haven’t told anyone since I told you.”  
“Not a soul.” Eren looked Levi in the eyes to prove he wasn’t lying. “Did you expect me to?”  
Levi looked back out at the expansive lawn, “In a way, yes. Most people would go and tell a best friend, or want to talk to someone about it.” They fell silent for another minute. Levi’s next statement took Eren by surprise, “Thank you. That makes me feel like I can trust you. I haven’t felt that in a very long time.”  
“Why not?” Eren asked.   
Levi opened his mouth just as Carla came out with two little plates with brownies and vanilla ice cream on them, “Hey, boys. I thought you would like a home-made brownie.”  
They each took a plate and thanked her, and she disappeared back inside. Eren waited again for Levi to continue. They ate their dessert in silence, except for one mention from Levi of, “This is delicious.” When they had finished and stacked their plates on the little table between them, Levi finally answered Eren’s question. “I told you earlier today that I was raised by my uncle Kenny.” Eren nodded, “and I told you he was abusive.” Eren nodded again.   
Levi took a deep breath and sighed, “I guess it’s story time again. Can we go take a walk?” Eren nodded.  
“Absolutely. Let me just take these plates inside, then we can go walk around the yard.” Eren ran the plates inside and returned in just a few minutes, and the two went down to walk around the massive expanse of lawn and different kinds of fruit trees in the back yard.   
Levi started abruptly, as if he just wanted to get it over with, “My mom died when I was only a year old. I think it was a brain tumor or something like that. I don’t really know. I don’t even remember her. I would ask my brother about it frequently, but he always said he couldn’t remember much about her either. The only thing either of us can vividly remember from our childhood is Kenny. Kenny beating us, Kenny insulting us, Kenny refusing to take us places, Kenny calling us filthy bastards, Kenny making us clean the whole house by ourselves. There’s even a few instances I have tried to block from my mind of Kenny abusing us sexually as well. I don’t remember him ever actually raping us, and he only ever did it when he was shit-face drunk, but he would still touch us in places we knew he wasn’t supposed to touch us. I knew what an orgasm was and what cum tasted like long before most kids even know that touching down there feels good.  
“I honestly hated him. We both did. We couldn’t tell him things. I found that out when I was 12 and first started to think I might possibly be gay. I just wasn’t interested in girls. I was far more interested in the other boys. Like I said, he tried to beat the ‘evil’ out of me. He thought being gay was evil. I had tried so hard even before then to get out of that house as soon as possible. I worked hard in school, I was able to skip a few grades, and I graduated by the time I was 15. It was heaven-sent. I was able to get a job and provide for myself enough that I left. I haven’t looked back. I never wanted to return no matter how bad things got. I met Isabel and Farlan not too long after, the three of us got desperate, and we got into some things we shouldn’t have gotten into.   
“To answer your question, Eren, I have a hard time trusting anyone. I don’t really even trust my own brother. He’s gay, too, but he scares me. He convinced me to… well, I’ll leave that one to your imagination. Anyways, I never trusted Kenny either, obviously. The only people I have ever found myself putting all of my trust in were Izzy and Farlan. Hanji I half-way trust, and I guess I sort of trust Erwin, but I would never tell either of them this story. They only know about Isabel and Farlan because they were there. Had they not been there, they wouldn’t know. I just have a hard time trusting. And you can probably see why. It’s kind of new for me to be able to trust someone the way I’ve found myself trusting you. I don’t know what it is.” Levi looked at the ground through the whole story, and Eren found himself glad he didn’t have to look Levi in the eyes for fear of what he may have found in those molten silver orbs. “The thing is, I do trust you enough to tell you these things, Eren. But please don’t break that trust. If you do, you may never get it back. No one will…”  
Eren stopped walking, “I would never do that.”  
Levi stopped and turned to face him, “I know, and I trust your word. But for both our sakes, I hope you don’t.”   
Eren walked the few steps to be closer to Levi. “You really trust me?”  
“I just said that didn’t I?” Levi was about to turn away, but Eren put a hand on his arm. Levi looked up at Eren, silver met jade, and it was suddenly like gravity was pulling them together. Levi stiffened as Eren was suddenly only inches from him. Neither moved or dared to even breathe. The tension was thick until finally Eren worked up the courage to close the small space between them. Their lips met, and Levi stiffened a little more. The kiss lasted only a few seconds, and Eren pulled away. Levi gaped at him, and Eren sighed.  
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” Eren bit his lip and looked away.  
“Do it again.”   
Eren whipped his head back so fast he thought he might have given himself whiplash, “what?”  
Levi rolled his eyes, visibly relaxing, “damn brat. Do it again.”  
Eren inhaled sharply, closing the distance once again. This time their lips met with a feverish intensity. Levi reached up to wrap his arms around Eren’s neck to hold him there, and Eren held Levi around the waist. Their lips parted at the same time, and their tongues danced. They kissed until both sets of lungs were screaming for air. When they parted they rested their foreheads together, breathing each other’s air. Eren smelled like a thunderstorm, and Levi smelled like Lemons. Each thought the other was perfect. They shared one more chaste kiss, lingering for just a moment until they heard Mikasa calling for Eren. “We should go back, or she will start looking for us.”  
Levi laughed airily through his nose, “we wouldn’t want that.”  
“No way.” Eren pulled back to look at Levi, who had the tiniest hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Eren grinned ear to ear, “See, I told you, you were attracted to me.”  
“Oh, shut up.” Eren swore he saw a hint of a blush on Levi’s face. He decided to test that theory, and whispered into Levi’s ear. The red got deeper. Yep, definitely a blush.  
“Are you…blushing?” Eren gaped.  
“What, no.” Levi looked away.  
“Did I get the ever-stoic, hardcore, total badass Levi to blush?”   
Levi looked away, and Eren stepped in front of him. “No… It’s… It’s the cold.”  
Levi tried to walk away, but Eren stopped him again, “huh. It’s the cold. And not that I told you ‘your face is freaking adorable and I bet the rest of you is too’?”  
Levi turned a furious shade of red, and his voice cracked, “n-no.”  
Eren laughed again, and pulled Levi in for another kiss. Finally, Levi pushed Eren away a little, “You shouldn’t say stuff like that so loud, either. What if someone heard you, like, you know, your sister.” The two started back toward the house.  
Eren, at the mention of Mikasa, had another question for Levi, “speaking of Mikasa, you said you had met her before, but it wasn’t…” Eren trailed off, not sure where to take this.   
“Oh, yeah. Is she adopted?”  
Eren glanced at Levi, “yeah, she is. Why?”  
“She just looks familiar. What was her original last name?”  
“It’s still her last name. It never changed. It’s Ackerman.” Suddenly Eren gasped, “Wait a minute. That’s your last name.”  
Levi nodded, “I probably could have guessed that, actually. I met her years ago when she was just a little kid. No more than 4 or 5 years old. She was adopted when she was 6, right?”   
Eren nodded, “yeah, we were both 6.”  
“And her parents were murdered, correct?”  
“Yeah, and they found her…”  
“…in the closet, hiding.” Levi sighed, “Yep, that’s her. She’s my cousin, by blood. My uncle refused to take her in because he already had two to look after that weren’t his. She’s awful lucky to have that scenario. I can’t imagine having a girl under his care. It could have been really bad.”  
Eren stared at Levi in shock, stopping on the grass, just in view of the house where they could see Mikasa’s outline on the patio. “Wait, you two are family by blood?”   
“Looks that way, yeah.” Levi looked up to the house, “I’ve always wondered what happened to her. Now I know.”  
“So how did you meet?” Eren inquired.  
They were approaching the house now, so Levi’s response was short, “I’ll tell you when we are alone again. It’s another rather personal story.”  
When they ascended the back stairs, Mikasa was waiting for them. She told them Carla wanted everyone to watch a movie together, so they all went inside. Mikasa made Eren sit on the leather love seat, and she quickly sat down next to him so that Levi would have to sit somewhere else, and that ended up being in the recliner on the other side of the room. Eren just shrugged when Levi sent him a questioning look, then wondered when he would get the chance to hear this new story about Levi and Mikasa, and what shaped both of their pasts.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally learn the full story of Levi's past, and things get a little heated ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More mentions of abuse, but again nothing too serious. Happy Reading! Let me know what you guys think in the comments! Also, this is the longest chapter so far, so enjoy that! It's almost 5000 words!

As it turned out, Eren didn’t get the chance to hear that story for quite a bit longer than he originally thought. Mikasa wouldn’t leave Eren alone for the rest of the night. By the time he was alone, Levi was in his own room, and Eren was too tired to stay awake anyways. He fell asleep quickly.   
Then he was woken up by none other than Mikasa. She was practically glued to him for the majority of the day. She made him help with breakfast, they watched TV for a while, then they helped with lunch, then it was playing basketball outside, even though it was colder than the day before, and Eren was freezing by the time they went back inside. They even sat side by side during meals, with Levi across from Eren instead of next to him. By the time dinner came around and Eren had hardly even seen Levi in passing, he’d had enough. Levi entered the room, and Eren pushed him to sit down at the table, and then sat down next to him as quickly as possible so that Mikasa either had to sit across from them or say something about it.   
She did nothing but glare at Levi with a heat Eren hadn’t seen in her for quite some time. Levi raised his eyebrows, “What on earth is going on?”  
“Never mind that,” Eren interjected before Mikasa had time to respond, “How has your day been? What did you do?”   
Levi tore his eyes away from the glare on his cousin’s face to look at Eren, “It was fine. I got the chance to play the piano for your parents, and then your dad gave me a couple books to read that he thought I might like, and we talked about that for quite some time up in the library. Your mom also gave me the recipe for those amazing brownies.”  
Mikasa sat down across from Eren in a huff, then pouted during the whole meal, hardly even touching her food, which was her favorite: spaghetti with home made sauce and made from scratch noodles.   
When the majority of them had their fill of spaghetti, and were sitting back talking and laughing, Carla noticed Mikasa still picking at her food, “Mikasa, honey. Why aren’t you eating your food? It’s your favorite.”  
Mikasa glanced up at Eren and the brunet could see a glint in her eyes that spelled trouble for him. She turned to Carla, “I haven’t seen Eren since school started, and all he wants to do is be with Levi. He sees Levi every day, and now he can’t even be bothered to sit with me during a meal.”  
“What are you talking about, Mika? I’ve spent the entire day with you!” Eren protested Mikasa’s complaint.   
“Yeah, but I could tell you didn’t want to, though. You’ve been spacing out on me all day.”  
“Mikasa, Levi is my guest and I should be the one entertaining him. Mom and Dad shouldn’t have to be doing it for me.”   
“But you hate Levi!”  
“Why in the hell would I hate him?”  
“Because you said it yourself, Eren, He’s an asshole!” Mikasa stood up, “after the way he looked at you during dinner yesterday, and the way he argued with you, are you seriously still going to stand up for him?”  
Eren stood up next, “you don’t even know what you’re talking about. Do you even know what he was angry about? Do you realize that what I said after that changed everything and that’s why he didn’t respond? Do you even know what we were arguing about in the first place? Yeah, he can be an asshole, but at least I know why he is the way he is, and I also know he doesn’t mean it. He’s just stubborn, and guess what? So am I. I probably come across as an asshole, too sometimes.”  
“But Eren, he looked like he was going to murder you over a few unspoken words.”  
“And if you knew what those unspoken words were, you would understand why. I would be angry, too.” Eren stared her down, challenging her to speak up again.  
“I can’t believe this. Even after he argued with you over something so dumb…”  
“And what are you doing right now?” Eren watched her jaw drop, “I’d say what you are doing right now is far worse than the little tiff the two of us had yesterday. So am I supposed to hate your guts now because of an argument? No, I won’t. Know why? Because everyone deserves another chance. Everyone deserves a chance to be understood. I get where you are coming from Mikasa, but you don’t even know him. You won’t even give him a chance. You’re the one who told me to give him a chance in the first place, remember?”   
Eren didn’t even give her time to respond before pushing away from the table and leaving the room. Levi sighed and shook his head, following shortly after, excusing himself from the table. He found Eren in the basement setting up a game of pool.   
When Levi closed the door to the room, Eren turned around to see who it was. He was clearly still angry, so Levi just stayed quiet. Eren spoke first, “Want to play?” The brunet held out a cue stick to Levi, who took it wordlessly.  
Eren broke, then they played, just trying to hit the balls in the holes in number order, not even keeping track of the score or anything. That was fine for Levi. Eren just needed time to cool down anyways. Both of them were actually very good at the game, and pretty soon it became a competition to see who could get the best trick shot, but still only get the next ball in the order. Two games of this later, and Eren was back to laughing and teasing Levi about everything.   
“So, Eren?” It was now Levi’s turn to ask questions.  
“Hmm?” The brunet responded as he put the cues back up on the rack and hung the triangle back under the table.  
“I’m stubborn, huh?” Levi smiled a little, facing away from Eren so that the other male couldn’t see it.  
“Yeah,” Eren responded, “A stubborn asshole that insists on calling me a brat.”  
“That’s because you are a brat.” Levi turned back around to see Eren a lot closer to him than he was before. Levi could reach out and touch him if he wanted to.  
Eren chuckled, “You know, when I first met you that word had a very different meaning.”  
“What word?”  
“Brat.” Eren took another step closer, “Now it has an almost affectionate meaning behind it.”  
Levi sighed, “Maybe you’re right, and maybe not.”  
“I like to think I’m right. Don’t rain on my parade.” Another step closer, and Eren leaned down to give Levi a sweet, chaste kiss. He pulled away, but placed his hands on Levi’s waist, pulling the raven with him as he leaned back against the pool table. Leaning back with his legs spread just enough for Levi to fit between them, they were a lot closer to the same height, and this made it easier for them to kiss. No bending necks, and no tippy toes. They stayed like that for quite some time, bickering lightly, as usual, and sharing small kisses until Eren suggested something new, “Why don’t we move this party upstairs to the room by the library. The couch up there is rather comfortable, even for two people. And not only that, we can see the stars because the roof is glass there.”  
“It is?” Levi asked, “I didn’t notice that.”  
Eren nodded and pushed away from the table, “It’s a lot better than the basement. No doubt about that.” He took Levi and led him through the house, glad that no one was around as they made their way up three flights of stairs and into the designated room. Eren turned to close and lock the door behind him. When he turned back around after turning off the lights he found Levi standing in the middle of the room looking up at the sky through the glass roof.   
Eren sat down on the leather couch and glanced up to the sky for a short minute before looking back at Levi. But Levi was no longer looking at the stars, he was watching Eren. When their eyes met Eren smiled and patted the couch next to him. Levi sighed and shook his head. The brunet was a little confused until Levi approached him, and instead of sitting on the couch next to Eren, took the liberty of straddling his lap, wrapping his arms around Eren’s neck, and leaning forward to kiss him. This kiss was different than the others. There was almost something desperate about it, and Eren was almost concerned.   
The brunet pulled away a little and gave Levi a questioning look, “Is something wrong, Levi?”  
The raven tightened his hold around Eren and buried his face in the side of the other’s neck, “I don’t really know. I’ve never felt this before.”  
Eren rubbed Levi’s back, “What are you feeling?”   
Levi pulled back, “It’s weird, I almost feel… afraid…”  
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Eren asked in genuine curiosity.   
“Loss,” Levi stated plainly. When Eren didn’t seem to get it, he elaborated, “I’m trusting you, but it’s scary for me. The last time I put my trust in someone I lost them for good. That hurts more than you could ever imagine.”  
Eren understood, but at the same time, couldn’t wrap his head around it, “Do you honestly think the same thing is going to happen twice?”  
“It could, but that’s not what I’m concerned about. I am about to reveal a big part of my past to you, and I’m afraid that in trusting you with this information you might hate me for it once you know.”  
“Levi, I could never hate you, no matter what you tell me. You could have killed someone before, and I still couldn’t find it in me to truly hate you. Anything that happened in the past is just that, in the past. All that matters is who you are now.”   
Levi was still a little tense, “but what if my past is what makes me who I am?”  
“Then you must have done something right.” Levi sighed in acceptance that he would just have to tell Eren and see what happened once he did.  
“You wanted to know how I met Mikasa.” Eren nodded. “This story begins before I was even born. My mother was a prostitute. My brother was born when she was only nineteen, and I came along four years later. She probably couldn’t even tell us who our fathers were even if she were here to ask. She struggled a lot being a single mother of two kids, and she was so young. Then she started getting sick. I was young enough that I don’t remember a thing about her. I don’t even know what she died from. I think I told you that last night.” Eren nodded again, “the only thing I can truly recall from my childhood is my uncle, who had no choice but to take us in.   
“My brother and I took care of ourselves a lot. Kenny wasn’t around much but when he was, he was cruel. I told you some of the things he did to us. The most consistent thing, though, was the name calling. He called us some variation of bastards every day. He called us filthy, disgusting, pathetic excuses for human beings. I can’t even count the number of times he told us we should never have been born.   
“He left us behind a lot when he had things he had to go to. That included family gatherings. He would usually leave us with a neighbor keeping an eye on us, though he never made them come over, or made us go over there. But the neighbor was never any better than being with Kenny. He always found the worst neighbor possible. One time, though, he couldn’t find anyone to watch over us. I was probably 9 or 10, and my brother 13 or 14. We tried to get him to leave us alone, but that was apparently out of the question. He took us with him, to a family event for the evening.   
“We were only allowed to sit in the corner. He gave us each a little plate of food and told us to stay quiet and behave. We ate in complete silence. We watched the people for a while. Then into the room came a man and a woman with a little girl with black hair and black eyes. The man, my brother told me later, was our other uncle. Our mom’s other brother that refused to take us in. They saw us and ignored us completely. A few others had said things like Kenny said every day, but them ignoring us completely… hurt worse than anything they could have said.  
“Neither of us knew who the little girl was, but she was clearly well taken care of. I found myself jealous of the girl they called Mikasa. Until a year later I heard my uncle talking about her situation. He wouldn’t take her in after a brutal break-in and murder. She was found hiding in a closet where she had apparently watched as the strange man killed both of her parents. I no longer envied her. Her situation was no longer any better than my own.   
“And that’s how I met the girl who is now your sister.” Throughout the story, Levi once again didn’t look up at Eren, but down at his shirt. “Though we never really talked, I just saw her.”   
“Do you think she knows?” Eren asked, and Levi looked back up at him.   
“No. How could she?” Both were quiet as they both thought about the possibility of them meeting again like this so many years later. Eren’s mind soon went in another direction, though.  
“Why would I hate you for this again?”   
Levi looked genuinely surprised by this, “you don’t care that I am literally a bastard. I have no father and I never will. I don’t even know his name or what he looks like.”  
“So what? Your mom’s life doesn’t define yours. That was her decision, not yours. Why should you have to suffer for something you have no control over. And who the hell cares about any of that anyways? You don’t choose your parents.” Eren was so genuine in his response that Levi lost control of his emotions that had built up over 26 years. 26 years of abuse, paranoia, and the deep rooted belief that he should never have been born.   
“Eren,” Levi whispered as he hid his face once again in Eren’s neck as he pulled his emotions back into check, forcing himself not to cry, “Thank you.”  
They sat like that for a long time just enjoying each other’s presence. Then Eren came up with one more question, “Levi, can I ask you one last question? One last thing I still don’t know?”  
The raven sat back on Eren’s thighs, “I don’t think I could not answer you at this point. What do you want to know?”  
“What did the three of you, meaning you, Isabel, and Farlan, get into that you have avoided telling me about thus far?” Eren let the question fall without pretense, and Levi tensed a little at the question.   
He soon relaxed though, remembering that he could trust his roommate, “We had a few friends that convinced us to run drug deliveries. Eventually we weren’t errand runners anymore, and we were the actual dealers. It was better money than you could even imagine. We bought a house and paid for it with cash, we all had cars, and had plenty left over to do with whatever we wanted.   
“I will say I am proud of myself in this instance for one thing only: I never, not even once, tried any kind of drug. I smoked, and that’s bad, but I have never, ever done drugs.” Eren raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Anyways, we eventually got to the point where we were disappointed in ourselves for involving ourselves in drugs, though, and the guilt was eating us alive, so we cut all contact with everyone we knew, got new phones, sold our first house, moved into the house I live in now, then we all decided we wanted to go to school. And you know the rest.”  
Eren kept looking at Levi in disbelief, “You were seriously a drug dealer, and never even though about trying the thing you were selling?”  
“I can’t say I didn’t think about it,” Levi clarified for Eren, “but I saw what it did to people, especially over a long period of time, so it was a pretty good deterrent. I think Izzy tried it once, but she’s the only one of the three of us that did.”  
“That’s pretty impressive,” Eren stated the obvious.  
Levi buried his face in Eren’s neck again, “Thanks.” He was obviously embarrassed, and Eren was starting to notice a pattern that he would hide his face in one way or another when he was embarrassed or feeling sort of bashful.   
Eren hugged Levi while they sat in silence until he came up with another question, “can I ask you something else?”  
Eren felt more than heard Levi chuckle quietly, “I thought you said that was going to be the last one,” He pulled away to look at Eren again, “But yes, go ahead. I will answer.”  
“Where did you learn to play the piano?”  
Eren swore he could see Levi’s mouth twitch upwards in a smile at the question, “I taught myself. Kenny had an old upright piano that was horribly out of tune, but while he was gone one day when I was about 5 or 6 years old I found a beginners book that taught me the bare minimum for basics, and I learned from there, basing everything I learned from then on, on those few basics. I practiced a lot, and it took my mind off of the horrible things that happened to me when Kenny was around. Before I knew it I could play anything in Kenny’s small selection. I then started to steal money from Kenny little by little to buy music at the music store down the street to make myself better all the time. I would have to hide the music, of course, which looking back was probably a bad idea. Had he ever found that music I could have been in a world of hurt. I guess I got lucky there.”  
“You seriously taught yourself how to play the piano?” Eren looked even more shocked at this than he did at the drug information.   
Levi nodded, “yes, until I started school with Isabel and Farlan and they suggested I major in piano performance at the very least. Then it’s a requirement to take lessons from a professor all four years. I found out within a few months of starting school that I was really good at arranging music as well as playing it, and that’s where the double major comes in. It’s a lot of work, and usually a few extra classes, but it’s worth it. I’m doing what I love, and I know Izzy and Farlan would have wanted me to do that.”  
“You are a very impressive person, you know that?” Eren pulled Levi in for a quick peck on the lips.  
Levi pulled away quickly, though, “What makes you say that?”  
“You’ve been through Hell and back a few times, and life doesn’t seem to ever cut you a break, but you still keep going. I don’t think I would have if I were in your position. I probably would remove myself from everything. I would be dead.”  
“I almost was, once.”  
Eren nodded, leaning forward and burying his face in Levi’s strong chest, his words muffled by the raven’s soft shirt, “I think you mentioned that before.”  
“I don’t think I told you that story, either. Not in detail, anyways. I actually had a gun to my head one day, and I was ready to pull the trigger when Hanji barreled into me, knocking it out of my hands. She took all of my guns away for a long time. She only gave them back to me this last summer. I was lucky to have her there, as mad as I was that she took my guns away. Some of them were Isabel and Farlan’s, so they were kind of sentimental, but she ultimately did the right thing.”   
“Are the guns from your drug dealing days?” Eren asked when he leaned back into the soft back of the couch.   
Levi nodded, “Yes. Can we change the subject? This is making me super depressed right now.”  
Eren chuckled, “of course. What subject would you like to talk about?” Levi didn’t answer and leaned in, giving Eren a fiery kiss that conveyed more than words ever could. It was full of trust, hinted at lingering fear, and was tinged with a bit of lust that Eren wanted to taste more of. Eren spoke between kisses that had become lingering pecks, “O… kay…got… it… no… talking…”   
Levi growled in frustration, getting off Eren’s lap only to push the brunet to lay on his back across the sofa. He climbed back up over Eren, now straddling his waist as they went back to their heated make-out session. Levi ran his hands through chocolate strands of hair then down across the sides of Eren’s face, across his neck, and to his chest where they stayed. They parted for air, and Levi wasted no time in moving down to nip lightly at Eren’s neck and collar bones, careful not to leave any marks. Eren’s breath hitched slightly with each nip, his breathing becoming heavier with each one.   
Levi wanted to taste more of Eren, and his hands began to wander once again, stopping at the hem of Eren’s shirt, tugging on it slightly, silently asking permission. Eren sat up, stopping his hands on their constant path up and down Levi’s back to reach down and pull his shirt up and over his head, leaving his torso bare for the raven. He pulled Levi back down with him in a heated kiss until Levi decided he had too many clothes on. He sat up again, still straddling Eren’s waist and pulled his own shirt off, throwing it somewhere on the floor with Eren’s.  
Eren had yet to see Levi without a shirt on, but was pleasantly surprised. The raven was ridiculously fit, as expected. Every muscle was toned and could be seen rippling as he moved. Though he wasn’t disgustingly over-muscled. In Eren’s opinion, there was such a thing as too much muscle. Levi had just the right amount, but that wasn’t what immediately drew his attention. Swirling beautifully over ivory skin was a black, calligraphy dragon tattoo. It was contained to the left side of his body with the head resting on his pectoral and the neck swirled perfectly around his nipple. It stretch down to the point of the tail that rested just above the line of his jeans. In awe, Eren reached up to trace the part that circled the darkened skin of the raven’s nipple. Levi’s muscle twitched on contact, and he inhaled sharply.  
The raven composed himself enough to speak, “like what you see?” Eren, speechless, nodded wordlessly, Levi smirked and chuckled once before leaning back down to kiss and lick a stripe up Eren’s defined abs, sternum, to his jaw, and finally back to his lips. They made out with feverish heat, exploring each other’s bodies, even divesting each other of belts, and getting to unbuttoning jeans, when Levi decided they better stop.   
He sat up, pulling Eren’s hands away from his beltloops and almost laughed out loud at Eren’s pout at the action, “As much as I want to defile and deflower you right here and now, we have to remember that we are in your parent’s house. From what I can tell, you aren’t exactly going to be quiet, based on those moans.”  
Eren sat up, pushing Levi to sit on the couch, and moving to hover over him, switching positions. The brunet leaned down to kiss along Levi’s collarbones, and under his jaw, speaking through the feather-light pressure of his lips, “But I want to see if you have another one of those delicious looking tattoos somewhere else more interesting.”  
Levi breathed a laugh, “You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you, Brat?”   
Eren’s eyes widened marginally as he sat back on the couch, letting Levi push himself up, “Do you have another tattoo?”  
Levi’s eyes shone with mischief and playfulness, though the rest of his face stayed blank, except for the smirk playing on his lips, “Like I said, you’ll just have to wait and see.”  
Eren let himself fall back to lay his head on the armrest, “Asshole.” He put his hands behind his head, looking up through the ceiling at the stars.  
“Brat.” Levi noted quickly that Eren hadn’t been kidding when he said there was room for two on this couch, and moved up to lay between Eren and the back, resting his head on the brunet’s chest, looking out to the star-covered sky that stretched over the massive expanse of property Eren’s parents owned.   
“Hey Levi?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Where does this put us?”   
Levi tilted his head up to look at Eren, who was still staring at the glass ceiling, or rather what was beyond it, “what do you mean by that?”  
Eren responded, “I don’t think I can go back to thinking of you as just my asshole of a roommate after all of this. These talks, the kisses, and the other things I’ve learned about you over these last two days, they’ve changed the way I see you. I don’t know what you think of all of this, but…”  
Eren trailed off, waiting for Levi to put in his own two cents. The raven looked back out the window, finding himself more comfortable than ever before. He took a deep breath, “I’ve never been in a real relationship, Eren. I’ve never loved that way. I have a hard time letting people see the deepest parts of me, and I think as you get to know me better, you will see that I am not what you seem to think I am. I am broken, and I need to be fixed, but I don’t know if I can truly be fixed. There are pieces of me that are missing, and have been since I was a kid. I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone, and I find myself caring about you in a way I haven’t cared since Isabel and Farlan, but there is still a darkness that weighs heavy on my heart, and it may never lift. I may never be free of it. Knowing that, do you think you could handle being in a serious relationship with me?” He paused to let Eren think.   
Eventually Eren responded, “Maybe you are broken Levi, and you may never truly be complete, not on your own. I am willing to help pull you back together and put all of the pieces back where they belong, and as for the missing ones, you can let me help you fill those in, too. Let me be the missing parts of you, or at least let me try. As for that darkness, it will lift eventually when you find yourself truly happy. Maybe that won’t be with me, but we could try. And I don’t think it will go away all at once, but one day you might find that it is no longer there.”  
When Eren stopped, Levi turned this over in his head, deciding to give Eren one last warning, “I told you I’ve never been in a relationship before, and that’s the truth. I don’t know how it works, or what to do. I have many things to learn. Can you be patient with me? Can you teach me, and help me learn those things? If I do something wrong, or something that displeases you, I need you to tell me. Can you do all of that?” Eren laughed, “What’s so funny about that?”  
“Oh, Levi,” Eren responded, “That’s a huge part of any relationship, no matter who is in it. Every couple has to learn to communicate. No two relationships are the same, and you aren’t the only one who will be learning as you go. I have had one relationship before, and it’s no cake walk, and there are a lot of things we are going to have to learn about each other. I already know a few things to avoid with you, and you probably know a few things to avoid around me. But there’s so much more to learn for both of us. So Levi, your question goes two ways. Can you be patient with me? Teach me about you? Tell me if something displeases you?”  
Levi had moved during Eren’s speech to balance on his elbow, his hand resting on Eren’s stomach, and looking over at the brunet’s face. Eventually, Levi sighed, closing his eyes only to open them again, “yes, Eren. I think I could do that.”  
“In that case, am I allowed to call you my boyfriend?” Eren looked down to where Levi was looking up at him.   
Within moments Levi resigned himself to the realization that he was falling fast for this brat with green eyes, “Yes. But only if I can call you mine.”


	11. Chapter 11

Eren woke up the next morning to a knock on the door. He opened his eyes slowly, still foggy with sleep, to take in his surroundings. He was in the big room with the glass ceiling in his parents house, and was laying on the black leather couch. It was light outside, but still fairly early based on the shadowy look of the light outside. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he realized there was a weight on his chest, and the sound of another person breathing. He looked down to see the top of Levi’s ebony head, meaning Levi was still there, and they had obviously fallen asleep last night while they were talking. Eren couldn’t tell if the other man was still sleeping or not, but decided he was probably awake, and just laying there, based on every other morning when Levi would be up and moving while Eren was still dead to the world. 

Eren took a deep breath to let Levi know he was awake, and muttered a quick “morning” to the man laying on his chest. Levi tilted his head back to look at the brunet, responding with a similar greeting as they shared a quick kiss before Levi grimaced. Eren gave him a questioning look. Levi responded with what should have been obvious, “Morning breath.”

It was simple, but it made Eren chuckle a little and kiss the crown of Levi’s head. The moment couldn’t last, though, as there was another knock on the door. “Eren, are you in there?” Carla was on the other side of the door.

Both boys sat up on the couch, and Eren scratched the back of his head as he answered his mom, “yeah, Ma, I’m here.” 

“Is Levi in there with you? I was looking for you two,” Her voice was slightly muffled by the closed door. 

“Yeah, he is,” Eren stood up to go open the door. When he did, his mom was looking at him with a question clear on her face. Eren sighed and went back to the couch where Levi was sitting, watching the encounter. Eren paled a little when he looked at Levi. He was still shirtless, and the top button of his pants was undone. He looked down at himself to find himself in a similar state of undress. Eren’s cheeks went red, and Levi raised an eyebrow.

Eren noticed the change in Levi’s facial expression, and cleared he throat, “Levi, just stay there.” The back of the couch faced the door, so Levi couldn’t be seen by Carla except the back of his head. The raven looked even more confused until Eren buttoned his pants as discreetly as possible. Then his eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t move. 

Carla giggled in the doorway, “I figured something like this was going on between you two. It’s alright, I’ll leave, I just wanted to see if you two would help me make breakfast?”

Eren about died as he sat back down by Levi, who refused to look at anything but the carpet, “Yeah, Mom, but please leave, this is really awkward.”

“Okay, okay. But I expect to see you both downstairs in the next ten minutes.” With that she closed the door and left.

Eren groaned and put his face in his hands, “Sorry about that,” Levi glanced at Eren from the corner of his eye, “she can be rather straight forward.”

Levi stood up to retrieve both of their clothes from the various places they had thrown them last night, “It’s alright. It’s pretty embarrassing, but she’s nice, so I don’t mind as much as I thought I would.”

Eren watched Levi move around the room, “Yeah, but she will want us downstairs in the allotted time, or she’ll come looking for us.”

The two quickly got dressed and went down to the second floor to change and brush their teeth before heading to the kitchen, right on time. They helped Carla make waffles, bacon, and scrambled eggs for everyone, and set the table. Mikasa and Grisha walked in a few minutes before they were ready, and sat at the table, chatting quietly. They enjoyed breakfast until Mikasa decided to talk to Eren, “Where were you this morning, Eren? I came to wake you up in your room, but you weren’t there.”

Eren looked up at her, still angry about the night before, and told the truth, well, sort of, “Levi and I fell asleep on the couch upstairs, watching the stars.”

“There’s only one couch upstairs.”

Eren nodded, looking back at his food, “I know.” 

“So you slept together.” It was a statement of fact that technically was true, and it made Eren turn bright red.

“Yeah, Mikasa. Sleep. That’s it. We fell asleep and slept on the same couch. Big deal.”

“What, is he your boyfriend now or something?” Mikasa sounded accusatory, and Eren didn’t like the sound of it.

He glanced sideways at Levi to let the other man know his intentions, and Levi nodded once to give Eren the permission he knew the brunet was looking for. “Yeah, he is, actually.”

Mikasa looked astounded and stood from her chair, “I can’t believe you, Eren,” she was practically screaming at him, “you know full well that he’s a total asshole, that he treats you like shit, and still you fall for it? You let him trick you like that? He probably just wants to get in your pants.” 

Eren couldn’t hear any more of it, “Mikasa, stop it! NOW!” He stood from his own chair, and they stared each other down. 

Levi stood as well, speaking softly, “Hey, I’m not just trying to, as you put it, ‘get in his pants’. Eren has helped me in a way no one else has ever been able to, and I want him around for more than just his body. I want him for who he is. Look, I don’t want to come between you two, and you obviously don’t want me here. I can leave, if that’s what you want. Like I said, I won’t come between the two of you.” Levi turned to Carla, who was staring at the situation in shock, “I’m sorry to have become a source of tension in your home. Thank you for having me, and for the offer. I don’t want to cause any more trouble, so I will take my leave. Thank you again, for your hospitality.”

Eren’s heart dropped into his stomach, and he felt sick. “Levi, don’t…” 

“No, Eren. I’m grateful you invited me, but I don’t think this is going to work if you are only going to fight with your sister every time she sees me. I’ll see you next week back in the dorms.” Levi started to walk away, and Eren felt like crying.

He turned to Mikasa, his emotions starting to run wild as tears streaked down his cheeks, “I can’t believe this.” 

Finally, Grisha stood and faced Mikasa, backing Eren’s side of the argument, “I believe Eren is right in this case, Mikasa. Levi doesn’t seem like he’s a bad person. I don’t know what he’s been though, but based on the way he acts, I think he’s been through hell.”

“You have no idea.” Eren spoked quietly, fat tears dripping off his chin, “You have no idea the hell he has been through. He has told me everything in the last few days, and everything makes more sense than ever before. He’s been through hell more than once, and life doesn’t cut him a break. I can’t tell you the details, because that’s his choice to make, but I won’t let you continue to insult someone you don’t even know. Yes, he can be an asshole, but he only does it because he’s protecting himself. He doesn’t let anyone close to him for fear of losing them. He’s taking a big risk in letting me in, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. I really like him Mikasa, and I want him around…” Eren trailed off, the room going silent. When he spoke again, it was almost malicious. “Him walking out is not the best thing. No one wins, not even you. I swear if I can’t get him to stay, and he walks out that door, I will not say one more word to you the rest of this vacation.”

Eren left the table, running down the hall and bounding up the stairs to the room Levi was staying in. When he walked in he expected to see Levi almost fully packed and ready to go, but instead, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, deep in thought. The brunet moved forward to sit next to him, still crying, “please don’t leave…” He said it so quietly, he wasn’t sure if Levi heard him.

“I don’t want to leave, Eren,” he sat up a little to reach up and make Eren look at him, the pads of his fingers wiping away some of the moisture, “but I don’t want there to be a fight every time you two are in the same room just because I’m here.”

“Then at least let me go with you.”

Levi shook his head. “No. You need to spend Thanksgiving with your family.”

“But you shouldn’t have to spend it alone,” Eren felt a sob rise in his throat, “I don’t want to be here if I know you are alone somewhere. I could never enjoy myself in that situation.”

“I’ll be okay, Eren. It’s not my first rodeo. I’ve had to spend many holidays alone in my lifetime. I’m used to it.”

“That just makes me feel worse. Please stay, Levi. Please. I’ll talk to Mikasa. There won’t be any more fights. I promise. Please just stay,” the brunette rested his forehead on Levi’s shoulder, the tears flowing freely once again.

Levi maneuvered Eren so that they were facing each other on the bed, and he pulled the crying man closer to him, “Oh, Eren. Please, don’t cry. I don’t want to see you like this.” He cupped Eren’s cheeks, and Eren closed his eyes. Levi kissed his eyelids, then wiped tears away with his thumbs. “Look, I won’t leave, but I have to have a promise from you that you won’t fight over me with Mikasa anymore.”

“I won’t, just please, please don’t leave.” Levi shushed Eren and laid back, pulling Eren with him, and letting the brunet cry into his chest, soaking the front of his shirt.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen downstairs, Carla, Grisha, and Mikasa were having a very serious conversation. Carla spoke softly to Mikasa, “Honey, I don’t think Levi is a bad person at all. In fact, I think he has been good for Eren.”

“I agree with my wife. He’s a good man. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and seems like he’s got a good life ahead of him. Eren being a part of that life wouldn’t be a bad thing. They seem to make each other happy,” Grisha stated as if it were pure fact.

“But you didn’t meet him that first day. You don’t know what he said to Eren, how he treated him, and Armin, and Me. He was so rude.” Mikasa seemed hurt, and Carla looked at her sympathetically.

“I understand the way you see it, Mikasa, but you heard Eren. He has a hard time letting people into his life. He was probably mean to you that day so that he wouldn’t have to become friends with anyone. I think you should give him a chance, or at least more of one than you already have. Maybe you two should sit down and talk things over. He seems like he would be willing to do that if you were to ask him.” Carla watched Mikasa start to resign herself to the words coming from her adopted mom, “and I think you should apologize.”

Mikasa huffed, “Fine, I’ll do it, but can we please talk about something else.” Grisha and Carla smiled at her and moved on to some lighter conversation while they cleaned up from breakfast. 

Upstairs, Eren was finally calmed down, and the two were exchanging soft kisses and affectionate touches. They slowly moved so that Eren was underneath Levi once again, but this time Levi was taking charge. His dominant personality starting to seep through the affection as he leaned over the brunet to capture his lips in a possessive, fiery kiss. Eren started to melt under Levi’s dominance, and just as Levi started to run his hands up under Eren’s shirt, there was a knock on the bedroom door. 

Levi sighed, and Eren groaned slightly. Levi answered the knock, as Eren was too flustered to speak at that moment, “yes?”

The voice they heard on the other side belonged to Mikasa, “Can I come in?”

Levi sat up, pulling Eren up with him, and they sat back on the edge of the bed, “Yes, come in.”

When the door opened she could see the both of them, but staying calm, addressed Levi, “I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment.”

Eren looked up at her suspiciously, and Levi touched him comfortingly on the shoulder, “It’s alright, Eren.” He stood up and followed Mikasa up to the library, leaving Eren sitting on the bed in the guest room. They were gone for almost an hour, and Eren started to worry as he wandered the second floor, straightening things in both his and Levi’s rooms over and over again. He was going to go up to make sure they were alright when he heard footsteps coming back down the stairs. He stood at his doorway to see Mikasa coming down the stairs, followed closely by Levi. Neither looked upset, so he figured it couldn’t have gone that bad. Mikasa looked like she was slightly in shock, but other than that, it appeared to be okay. Mikasa didn’t say anything to Eren as she went into her own room and closed the door.

Eren looked back to Levi, who had approached him, and was standing about an arms-length away from the brunet. He said two words that made Eren let out a sigh of relief and grin like an idiot, “I’ll stay.”

The brunet pulled Levi in for a passionate kiss, and moved them into his own room, kicking the door closed behind him, barely having time to lock the door before Levi was on him again. The atmosphere was heavy with a kind of lust neither had ever felt before, and soon they were once again ripping at each other’s clothes with a feverish intensity. Eren really thought they were going to get to the good stuff this time as they moved to lay on the bed, but Levi apparently had other ideas. When they were both stripped of everything but boxers, Levi stopped Eren’s hands from pulling those off, too. 

Eren whimpered slightly at the action and Levi chuckled, “Damn, It’s getting harder to control myself. I almost let you do it. But we can’t, Eren. Mikasa is in a room two doors down from us right now, and we are still in your parents’ house.”

“Why? I can be quiet.” 

Levi looked skeptical. “Even if you can, I don’t want you to have to be quiet during our first time. I want to be able to hear every sound you make. Every moan, whimper, scream, and groan, I want to hear. We can’t do that here, so I say again, we can’t, Eren. We can experiment with other things, like making ourselves be quiet later on once we have had that first time. I also don’t want us to be walked in on, which seems to be a frequent occurrence in this house.”

Eren exhaled sharply, “Fine, so when do we get to take this all the way?”

Levi kissed Eren again, then lowered himself to lay on Eren’s torso, his chin resting on his hands over Eren’s sternum, looking up at Eren, who had propped his head up on some pillows. He thought about it for a minute before responding, “If you want to, we could take a trip to my house before going back to campus. It would mean leaving here a few days earlier, but it’s an option. I have a few things I could grab while I’m there, too. We could leave Friday afternoon. It’s about a three hour drive from here, and about four hours away from campus, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea, if you’re up for it.”

“You live there alone, right?” Eren asked to make sure. 

“For the most part. When Hanji’s around, she likes to take up one of the basement rooms on occasion. You know, I don’t think she even has a home of her own. She just likes to bounce between the homes of all of her friends. But, anyways, she won’t be any kind of problem for us with her being half way around the world from us.”

Eren grinned down at Levi and pulled him back up far enough to kiss him, “Then let’s do it. We can use the excuse that you have things to get from your house before school starts up again. It’s valid enough, and the house is far away enough that it’s a good excuse to not have to come back.”

Levi let the corners of his mouth tweak upwards just a little, “It’s a plan then. We will plan on leaving here on Friday afternoon no later than 5 or 6, so that we can be there by 8 or 9. Sound good?”

Eren nodded, and they made out for a little while longer until Eren came up with an idea. “Hey, Levi.”

“Hm?” Levi still had his lips attached to Eren’s neck and jaw.

“We should go on a date today.”

Levi pushed himself up to hover over Eren, “What?” 

“We could make it a lunch date. I could show you around town a little and you can see where I grew up. Then tonight we could go out after dinner to one of the local bars and enjoy a night of light drinking and I think it would be good for us. We would get out of the house for a while, and we can get to know a different side of one another. I haven’t really ever seen you outside of the dorm or this house except for that one morning at IHOP. And that doesn’t really count.”

“What, you think you are going to get to see a different side of me? That I’m going to show my true colors or some shit like that?” Levi looked skeptical.

“Something like that.” Eren looked so sincere that Levi just sighed and decided he would go along with it. 

“Alright, Brat. I’ll let you take me out today, but only if I get to pay.”

Eren looked a little lost for words for a moment, “N-No way! I invited you, so I get to pay!”

“Then I won’t go.”

“Are you serious?” Eren gaped at his new boyfriend.

“Yep.” They stared each other down for a little while, until Levi spoke up again, “But I’ll let you drive.”

Eren’s eyes lit up instantaneously and Levi wondered if he had made the right choice in telling Eren he could drive his mint-condition, new Audi. Before he could take it back, Eren was talking, “It’s a deal. This is gonna be so fun! I can show you the park where everyone hangs out, and then we can go to…” Eren started rambling on about the things he was going to show Levi, and the raven was content to lay his head back on his boyfriends chest and listen to him talk animatedly, not really paying close attention, but just letting the words flow through him. He hadn’t been this comfortable around someone in so long, and he could admit it felt nice to be taken care of by someone else just a little. He relaxed into the feeling until Eren looked at the clock and announced that they would have to get going if they wanted to get lunch. 

So Levi got off his boyfriend with one last peck on the lips, and retreated to his own room after re-dressing so he could make himself presentable for the public eye. This was going to be a perfect Sunday afternoon date, at least that’s how Eren saw it. 

Twenty minutes later they made their way downstairs, and found Carla baking something in the kitchen, humming a tune, and Grisha was nowhere to be found. Carla heard them enter and turned around, “hey boys, I’m about to start lunch. Would you like to help?”

Eren came around the island so that Carla could see his full attire, which was clearly meant for leaving the warm house to brave the cold November air. “No thanks, Ma. We are headed out for the afternoon. We will be back for dinner, though. But we might be going back out after that, too.”

“Oh,” Carla looked rather pleased at this information, “So I take it Levi isn’t leaving. I’m glad to hear it. I was really worried that you would. So is this a date, then?” 

“Mom..” Eren whined, dragging out the ‘o’. 

“Hey, I’m just curious.” 

Levi shook his head, “Yes, Carla. It’s a date. Our first to be exact.”

Carla practically squealed, “Oh, well you two have fun, and be safe! I’ll see you both at dinner.” She turned back around to add chocolate chips to what looked like cookie batter. 

“Okay, bye Mom.” The two males turned to walk back to the front door. They walked down the front steps towards Levi’s car, and Eren took note that his dad’s care wasn’t in the driveway, so he was probably at work, and that’s why they didn’t see him. 

Eren was brought back to the present when Levi held out his keys for Eren. He took them excitedly, and went around to the passenger side door. Levi looked at him weirdly, “wrong side, Brat. Driver’s side is this way,” He pointed to the driver’s side door. 

“I know that. I was going to open your door for you,” To emphasize his point, he opened the door and gestured with his free hand to the seat inside. Levi rolled his eyes, but got into the seat anyways. When Eren closed the door he went around to his own door and hopped in, remembering that to start the car he only had to push a button. He giggled a little when the engine purred to life, and Levi almost smiled at Eren’s excitement. It was pretty cute.

Eren put the car in reverse, and pulled out of the driveway, and they sped off to start their first date. Eren would point stuff out as they drove: The schools he went to, the park he would play in as a kid, Armin’s grandpa’s house, the public pool he would spend his summers at, and anything else that came to him. Eventually he pulled into a parking lot in front of a little restaurant that looked more like a café. “This,” Eren began as he put the car in park and killed the engine, “is the restaurant I worked at all through high school, and my favorite place to eat in town. It’s owned by this crazy old man named Pixis. I think that’s actually his last name, and I’ve only ever heard his first name once. I think it’s Dot or something like that. He might be crazy, but he’s a genius when it comes to food.” Eren got out, Levi following only seconds later. Levi surveyed the restaurant as they approached. It was clean enough, and outside had a rather cozy looking patio with wooden tables and chairs. There were heat lamps on, and a couple of people were sitting at the tables near them nursing cups of coffee, and what looked like massive cinnamon rolls. 

When they went inside they were met with warmth and a relaxed atmosphere. The colors inside consisted of green, red, and white. The theme seemed to be roses, as there were roses everywhere, but Levi found he rather liked the contrasting color scheme with the soft looking couches everywhere conveying comfort, yet the roses screamed romantic. It was an interesting mix that made Levi want to stay there forever. He could get used to a place like this. There was a waitress standing close by and she told them to sit anywhere they liked. 

Eren chose a seat for them on one of the plush couches to their left by the big windows. It was in the corner so they would have some privacy, which Levi appreciated. A waitress approached that Eren didn’t recognize, and she gave Levi a good look over, and Eren was immediately feeling possessive. “What can I get you boys to drink today?” she only looked at Levi while she spoke, making Eren’s blood boil. Levi was his. 

Levi merely glanced up at her, before looking back at Eren, “What do you have for teas?”

“We have a lot of great teas, sir. Are you feeling black, white, green, or herbal?” She continued to speak only to Levi.

“White or black.”

“In the white category we have a delicious white rose tea, or a citrus tea. In the black we pretty much have all of your classics, including Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Darjeeling, and Assam.” 

Levi didn’t even look away from Eren as he answered, “Earl Grey will be fine.”

“Earl Grey it is. And for you?” She glanced toward Eren for a second then let her eyes wander back to Levi. 

“Pumpkin Latte.” Eren quipped, then snapped, “We’ll need a few minutes to look over the menu.”

The waitress glared at Eren slightly before walking away to get their drinks. Levi raised an eyebrow, “What was that about?”

“She was looking at you like you were a piece of meat or something. I didn’t like it. Doesn’t she know you’re mine now?” 

Levi chuckled through his nose, then leaned forward to kiss the corner of Eren’s downturned mouth, “She probably doesn’t know that. It doesn’t matter though, I didn’t even notice. I’m not going anywhere.” He pecked Eren on the lips and sat back just as the waitress came back with their drinks. 

“You ready to order?” 

Levi looked at Eren, “You are the one who worked here, I’ll take your word for it and have whatever you have. Get whatever you want. Price is no problem.”

Eren thought for a second, then his eyes lit up, “Two turkey and artichoke sandwiches on wheat bread, and two half size strawberry salads to go with them.” The waitress turned on her heal and left without another word.

The two boys talked small talk until their food came, and they started eating. Levi enjoyed every bite of both his sandwich and salad, “I think we need to steal his bread recipe.”

Eren laughed, “Too bad, he won’t give it to anyone.”

Just at that moment, they heard a voice behind them, “damn straight, Jaeger.”

Eren looked up to see Pixis himself standing behind him, “Pixis. How are you, boss?”

“I’m still kickin’, and don’t you ever think otherwise.” 

Eren laughed, “I wouldn’t dream of it, old man.” 

“Good,” He smiled, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he did, “Now who is this handsome young fellow you’ve got here.”

“This is Levi,” Eren introduced, “my boyfriend.”

“Very nice to meet you, Levi.” Levi nodded in answer, “Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed your meals and coffees. I got a couple customers to speak with, so I’ll leave you be.”

“Alright, it was good to see you, Old Man.”

The old man wandered away, and Eren smiled, reminiscing about the days he worked here, and the two would banter non-stop. 

The waitress returned a while later with the bill, “Pixis said to give you the friends and family discount, so there you are.” She placed the black book on the table. Their meals cost them only seven dollars, and Eren chuckled, content to let Levi pay for this one, since it was so cheap. 

Levi placed a ten dollar bill in the book, and they stood up to leave. When they got back in the car, Eren drove them around a little while longer before stopping at a huge park where they walked around for a while, talking about little things until they were nearly frozen from the chilly November air. They decided to make their way back to the house, and Levi was grateful he had let Eren drag him on this little date. It had been very pleasant, and he learned a lot more about the brunet in the short time. Eren had a simple life. A life most people would expect a teenager to have. He had a good family, lots of friends, a good boss in high school, and Levi felt a little jealous, but it didn’t last. After all, he got to share that life with Eren now. He couldn’t possibly be more grateful for that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the extended family! and Thanksgiving Part 1

Monday morning Eren woke up next to Levi in his bed in the guest room. Levi had his arms around Eren from behind, and Eren could tell he was awake because he continued to change the strength of his grip around Eren’s waist. Eren smiled, remembering the night before with a sort of fuzzy clarity. 

They had gone to the most popular bar in town that bordered on being a club. There was a small dance floor, and played the most popular music. Levi and Eren had a couple drinks and soon Eren was dragging Levi out to dance. Surprisingly enough, Levi didn’t protest, and thanks to his music background, was a really good dancer. They danced and had a few drinks. They made out in a corner, and eventually Levi decided it would be wise to get them back to Eren’s parent’s house before they did something really crazy. 

When they returned, they were both tipsy enough that common sense was not much of a factor, especially for Eren. It was late, and the house was silent and dark. They stumbled upstairs to burst into Eren’s room, both stripping as they went. Luckily none of their clothes were left outside, and all ended up in Eren’s room. Levi came to his senses long enough to realize they were both drunk and should not be having sex in that state, and that they were both disgusting. 

Levi had, instead of letting Eren have his way, pushed him into the bathroom connecting their rooms and into the tub. Eren, of course, pulled him in too, and they made out in the tub until Levi insisted they wash when the water started to get cold. He took really good care of Eren, and the brunet couldn’t help but smile at the memory. 

As Eren returned to the present he took stock of his situation. Levi was behind him with his arms around his waist, and Eren could feel his morning wood pressing into the back of his thighs. They were both still naked from the night before. Eren giggled, turning in Levi’s arms to give him a peck on the lips. 

“What are you laughing at, Brat?” Levi clearly had a pet peeve about morning breath because he wouldn’t let Eren kiss him again. One was all he would get in the mornings apparently. 

“You were just so sweet last night while I was drunk.”

“You were pretty drunk. How are you feeling this morning?”

“My head hurts a little, but I’m okay.” Eren smiled again, cuddling up closer to Levi, “I’ve had worse. I’m surprised you aren’t hung over, too.”

“I didn’t have as much to drink as you did,” Levi stroked Eren’s hair.

“Yes you did. Don’t even pretend you didn’t.”

“I’m not pretending. I had about half as much as you did. Had I drank as much as you, you would have woken up with a sore back and ass this morning. I would have let you have your way.” 

Eren blushed at the thought of them in the bath last night, and how wanton he had probably sounded as he begged Levi to just do it already. But, no. Levi had more self-control than any human should ever have. 

Eren was about to protest when a solid knock sounded on the door. Grisha’s voice came through, “Hey boys, Carla has breakfast ready. Get dressed and come eat.”

Eren blushed a furious shade of red that his dad somehow knew that he was both in Levi’s room, and that neither of them were dressed, “Okay dad!” Eren yelled back, and his dad’s footsteps retreated down the stairs. “How the hell did he know that?” the brunet looked up at Levi, who was just as confused. 

“I don’t know, but we should make this quick so as not to arouse more suspicion.”

“Agreed.” Eren flew out of the bed, running his naked butt through the bathroom and into his own room to throw some sweatpants on. 

When he emerged from his room, Levi was there waiting for him, and they went down to breakfast. Carla was just putting eggs on everyone’s plates as they sat down. In both Levi and Eren’s spots were glasses of water and two Advil each. Eren looked up to his mom in question, and she responded to his look, “I figured you two would be hung over pretty good after last night. I know for sure Eren was drunk because he had zero ability to whisper. You woke us all up.”

Eren blushed, thanking his mom and taking the Advil. Levi gave her the pills back, “I didn’t drink enough for that. I don’t need them, but thank you for the thought.”

Carla smiled, “at least one of you has some self-control around the alcohol.”

Mikasa snickered into her hand, suppressing a laugh. Eren glared back at her. For the first time since getting there for the holiday, the meal went smoothly with no arguments. When everyone finished Carla spoke directly to Eren and Levi, “Boys, I have some information for you. Grandma and Grandpa Jaeger are going to be here for Thanksgiving this year. Eren, you know what that means, right?”

“Yeah. They need Levi’s guest room or my bedroom.”

“Correct. But as usual, my mom will be here as well. Can you guess where I’m going with this?”

Eren nodded, understanding, “Yeah, she will need the other one. So where are you putting me and Levi?” 

“I hope it’s okay for me to assume this, and let me know if it’s not, but I was wondering if you two would be willing to share the bed in the room downstairs until Friday? Now, they won’t be here until tomorrow, so you can stay where you are for now, but tomorrow we need to have you two out of those rooms. I’m sorry to do that to you two, but you know your grandparents. I know that doesn’t make me a very good host, Levi. I should have foreseen this. Can you forgive me for making you switch rooms?”

Levi nodded, “Of course. It’s not a big deal. I am simply a guest. I’ll do as you tell me to. And I’m okay sharing a bed with Eren, if he’s okay with it that is.”

Eren nodded, too, “yeah, that would be okay.” Then Eren remembered something important, “Oh, yeah. Levi and I are leaving on Friday as well.”

“Why is that?” Grisha asked.

Levi replied to the question, “there are a few things I left at my house that I need for a project for the end of term. The drive is quite long, so I can’t really make it a day trip. We thought we would just make a weekend out of it.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Grisha nodded in understanding, “What things do you need?” 

“My guitar is the main thing, and I couldn’t believe I forgot it back at the beginning of the semester. I’ve made due without it, but I have found in the last week that I’m actually going to need it. I could buy another, but mine is perfectly fine, so there’s no point in that. A few other things that are much more trivial, that if I hadn’t needed the guitar I would have just bought more or done without.”

“Alright,” Carla nodded, “we will be sad to see you go so early, but you do what you have to do.”

“Thank you.” 

The rest of the day went smoothly. Levi played the piano for Eren and his family, and everyone enjoyed the time of quiet, watching Levi’s hands dance across the keys. They made treats, watched a movie, helped Carla with meals, and spent the day doing whatever they wished. 

Eren slept in Levi’s bed again that night, and decided he quite liked the idea of sleeping with the raven-haired man. It was warm and comfortable, and he found himself never wanting to leave Levi’s arms in the morning. 

But alas, they had to arise and start the day. They started with breakfast again, and then moved to pack up again and move themselves down to the basement room. There was only one guest room in the basement, and it was rarely ever used, but Carla had said she cleaned it the day before, so it was ready for them. As they walked down the stairs, Eren came up with a question for Levi, “I meant to ask you what you and Mikasa talked about the other day when you were in the library?”

He made it a question at the end, and Levi sighed as Eren opened the door to the guest room, which was actually quite spacious for being in the basement, “She apologized for not giving me a chance, and told me she would try to understand me. She also told me that if I ever hurt you she would murder me, which I accept. I also decided to tell her about us being blood-related cousins. She was shocked to say the least. She almost immediately knew who I was at that point, calling my one of Kenny’s boys. I was surprised she remembered that much, as she was so young at the time. She didn’t know all the details but she knew that much. I gave her the information she needed to know, and that was it.”

“That’s it?” Eren asked.

“Pretty much.” Levi put his bag on the chair in the corner, as both of them had decided not to completely unpack and more or less just live out of their duffle bags. They took out their toiletries, and left the rest. 

“I expected to have to save one of you from being murdered.”

“Whys that?”

“Because you are both Ackerman’s and stubborn as hell,” Eren stated as if he were telling Levi the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. 

For the first time ever, Eren heard Levi truly laugh. He had a genuine smile on his face, and Eren practically melted at the sight, “I guess that’s true, isn’t it,” Levi said when he stopped laughing. The laugh hadn’t lasted long, but it was enough to make him grin. Levi’s smile was truly beautiful, and contagious. He knew he wouldn’t see it often, and that he was probably the only person who would get to see this side of the raven. 

“Hanji would be jealous if she knew I saw you laugh.” 

Levi nodded, “she probably would be, actually. I used to smile a lot more when Isabel and Farlan were alive. Still not all the time, but it was more common. When they died I just couldn’t bring myself to be happy for a very long time,” Levi sat in the chair after moving his bag to the floor beside it, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together, “I think that’s the first time I’ve really laughed out loud like that in over three years. She’s been trying to get me to smile for that long, and it’s never happened. I never had a reason to until now. You make me happy again, Eren.” 

Eren knelt down in front of Levi and took his hands in his own, “I’m glad I got to see it. You have a beautiful smile,” he leaned forward and gave Levi a sweet, innocent kiss. He smiled at Levi when he pulled back, and the corners of Levi’s mouth were upturned just a little. 

They heard the front door open and footsteps upstairs above them, “My grandparents are probably here. Would you like to meet them?”

“I’ll have to eventually, won’t I?” Eren nodded, “Then let’s get it over with now.”

The two stood and made their way back upstairs. Before they turned the corner into the front entry, Eren turned back to Levi, “My grandma and grandpa Jaeger are completely crazy. You’ll see what I mean when you meet them. They are very old. My grandma Schmidt is the coolest grandma you’ll ever meet. But just go with it, whatever happens. There’s a reason my mom is the way she is.”

Levi just nodded, looking a little nervous. They stepped around the corner, and Eren was mauled by a brown fuzz ball. Levi watched him get tackled, and Eren laughed as the giant poodle-looking dog licked his face. “Bear, come here.” The dog removed himself from Eren and the brunet sat up. Levi took his hand and helped him to his feet.

“Are you alright?” Levi asked, concerned.

“Yeah. It’s just Bear. Sweetest fluff ball on the planet,” Eren explained as he dusted himself off, “He’s a goldendoodle, and I love that dog to death.”

Levi nodded, staying quiet, his face blank. “Eren!” they heard a voice near the front door, and both boys turned to look. There was a lady with brownish red hair that was obviously dyed that color, as it was starting to grow out a little and the gray was showing, rather plump, but not overly so, and was smiling a blinding smile that matched Carla’s. Levi thought this must be Grandma Schmidt, as she gave Eren a crushing hug, and handed him her over-size purse that probably weighed fifty pounds. “And who is that good looking young man?” She looked over at Levi. 

Eren answered, carrying her purse over to the base of the stairs to put it down, “That’s Levi. He’s my roommate at college, and also now my boyfriend.”

She went over to him, “well, it’s nice to meet you. You got a good one, Eren.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Schmidt.” Levi responded politely.

“My name is Ella, but you can just call me Grandma, okay?” Levi nodded, and the older woman moved on as Carla came in with a small duffle bag. “Now where’s my granddaughter?”

Mikasa came down the stairs in just that moment, “Hi Grandma.” She gave the woman a hug, and they all moved on to the living room while Eren carried the bags up to the guest room that was formerly Levi’s. 

They settled down to talk in the living room with the dog laying in the middle of the floor when the doorbell rang again not five minutes later, and Grisha, who had the day off from work, went to get the door. Eren took Levi with him to meet the crazies, as he called them. 

The lady, Grandma Jaeger, had a thick German accent and looked to be very harsh. She didn’t smile a lot like the other Grandma. She was skinny with gray hair pulled back into a tight, harsh bun. The man was a little kinder looking, and also had a thick accent. He had a major beer belly going on, and his hair was combed over. The two were speaking mostly German, and Levi couldn’t understand them. After all, he only spoke French, and even that was a little rusty. Eren, though, seemed to understand every word, and even answered them in fluent German. 

These two were, in fact, crazy. They seemed to be arguing over the smallest of things, and the lady scolded Eren who looked like a kicked puppy. He heard his name when Eren pointed to him, and he assumed he had just been introduced. The woman only seemed to be more put-off at the information, and Levi looked totally lost to everything that was going on. 

Grisha stepped in to calm his mother down, and showed them up the stairs and to Eren’s room that would now be theirs. Eren came over to Levi shaking his head. Levi cocked an eyebrow, “What the hell was that all about?”

“They are very traditional, and they aren’t very happy I’m gay. They never really have been. They are super strict, and said they didn’t want to see any kind of affection between us while they were here. Just wait until they find out we are sleeping in the same bed for the next three nights.” Eren scratched the back of his head, and the two boys made their way back to the living room with the cool grandma, “I told you they were crazy.”

“Do they speak English?”

“A little, but not well enough to have any kind of conversation, so you at least won’t have to worry about that.”

“I didn’t know you spoke German.”

“Yeah, I grew up speaking both languages. My dad speaks both languages fluently because he grew up in Germany, but my mom only speaks a little German. Grandma does, though. She was born in Germany.”

“Then I guess your last name makes sense.”

Eren laughed, “For sure.”

They had a rather busy evening. They had to lengthen the table to fit everyone, and a lot of German was spoken. Mikasa and Carla seemed a little lost at times, right along side Levi, who didn’t understand much at all. He caught a few words that matched the English word, but even then he still couldn’t grasp much of what they said. The Jaegers scolded Eren once for wiping Levi’s cheek with a napkin when one of them flung sauce across the table. Grandma Schmidt stepped in at that point, defending Eren, or that’s what Levi gathered anyways. They drank beer for the dinner, and a lot of it. They were rather messy eaters, too. Eren was right, they are completely crazy. 

At the end of the meal, Carla excused Levi and Eren from the table and from doing dishes so that they could get away from the senior Jaegers who just couldn’t let up on them for being in a relationship. Eren looked like he was ready to explode, so Levi decided this was probably for the best. They retreated to the basement to play a game of pool, and Eren looked grateful for the opportunity. Mikasa joined them only fifteen minutes later. 

“Can I join you?” she asked politely.

“Trying to get away from the crazies?” Eren responded.

“Definitely.” Mikasa nodded.

“Then by all means, grab a cue. Let’s play.” The three got along famously now, as Eren found out. Levi and Mikasa were both highly competitive, just like him, and it made for a fun few rounds of pool. Grandma Schmidt came down to join them eventually, also trying to escape the Jaegers, laughing at their antics and competitiveness, but not having any desire to join in the game. 

They played until Carla called down the stairs for dessert, and the four of them made their way back up to the kitchen, Levi and Eren avoiding being in range of the senior Jaegers. Grisha sent them an apologetic look, and Eren just shrugged. 

Bedtime was an even bigger affair than dinner, as Grandma Jaeger insisted on knowing where Levi and Eren would be sleeping. When Grisha told them, the truth of course, they wouldn’t go to bed until they knew that the two would be separated for the night. 

Finally, Eren gave in and told them he would sleep on the couch in the living room. They seemed satisfied with that, and went upstairs to Eren’s room. Carla turned to them at that point and told them they didn’t have to do it. Eren looked relieved at the newfound permission to sleep next to Levi. 

Grandma Schmidt just shook her head in the corner with every new drama the Jaegers came up with, and sent the boys looks behind their backs. She seemed just as annoyed as they were. 

Eren couldn’t have been more happy to get downstairs and into the spare bedroom with the door locked. He kicked his shoes off and collapsed on the bed face down with a groan. 

Levi chuckled, and crawled onto the bed beside him, “You weren’t kidding when you said they were crazy.” 

“Right?” Eren sighed into the pillow, “they drive me nuts. It’s a good thing they live in Germany, and I don’t have to see them more than once or twice a year or I would totally lose my shit. And why did they have to come during Thanksgiving? They don’t even celebrate it. They don’t understand it either. When we try to explain Thanksgiving to them, they just get more confused.”

“They are nuts for sure. We should change and get some rest. I have a feeling these next two days are going to be insane.”

Levi was right about that, more so than even he realized. Grandma Schmidt was totally the coolest grandma to ever walk the earth. Eren was right about that, too. She spoiled them rotten, going out to buy them things they didn’t ask for, but she somehow knew they wanted it, and doting on them enough for three normal grandparents. It was okay, though, because she balanced out the weirdness of the Jaeger grandparents.   
Ilse, as Levi found out she wanted to be called instead of ‘Grandma’, even by her own grandkids, slapped Eren on the wrist for taking seconds without permission, even though it wasn’t required. She made Mikasa pull her hair back into no less than a ponytail. Carla’s ponytail was now up at the base of her skull, meaning she couldn’t wear it loose anymore with Ilse around. She hovered over the kitchen when Carla was cooking, not helping, and giving advice that Carla obviously didn’t need, as she was a great cook. 

Hans Jaeger, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of his wife, yet exactly the same. He would sit in a chair at the table in the middle of everything and silently watch everyone move about the house. He wouldn’t say anything until someone did something wrong in his eyes, then he would rise quickly from his chair, approach that person, say something very calmly in German, and walk away, leaving that person very pale. 

Levi had yet to have one of those encounters, and didn’t want one, so he stayed away from the main area, except to go up or down the stairs leading to the basement, and wouldn’t linger for long. He spent a lot of time in the sitting room in the front of the house playing the piano while Eren sat on one of the couches drawing or doing homework. This gave Levi a good chance to work on his arrangement while staying away from the crazies, and still spend time with Eren. 

Grandma Schmidt sat in the room for quite a while, listening to Levi play, and watching Eren draw until Carla came to ask her for help making lunch, then dinner later that night. They also started cooking for tomorrow night’s feast. From what Levi could gather, it was going to be spectacular. 

That night, before bed, Eren was going to just sneak down the stairs before Ilse could say anything and hope she didn’t notice. He snuck away about five minutes before the end of their movie to do so, giving Levi a signal so that he would know what he was doing. Levi nodded, and Eren padded away silently. Just as he stepped down to the first step, Ilse called out to him, telling him he better not be planning to sleep down on the bed with Levi. 

Eren groaned, coming back to sit in his spot again to finish the movie. Grandma Schmidt patted him sympathetically on the shoulder, and Eren sort of felt like crying. He wouldn’t let them get to him though, so he shook it off. 

Once again, Ilse and Hans wouldn’t go to bed until Carla and Grisha assured them that Levi and Eren were to be separated, and this time, they weren’t satisfied until Eren had made his bed on the couch, and was laying in it, and Levi was downstairs. Then they made everyone separate before they followed Carla, Grisha, and Mikasa up the stairs. Carla texted Eren a few minutes later to let him know that the Jaegers were settled down and he could join Levi in the basement if he wanted to. 

Eren didn’t hesitate to take the offer, leaving his make-shift bed where it was, hoping that seeing it in the morning would convince them he had stayed there all night. When he got to the guest room he found Levi sitting on the bed scrolling through his phone. Eren plugged his into the wall silently and crawled to lay his head on Levi’s lap. Levi didn’t say anything and simply ran his fingers through Eren’s hair until the brunet fell asleep.

When he woke up, Eren was under the covers, and was in Levi’s arms again. He had no motivation to get up this time, so he turned in Levi’s arms and buried his face in the older man’s chest. Levi was already awake, and Eren knew it, so he mumbled into Levi’s chest, “I’m so sick of them. Can we leave early?”

Levi started running his fingers through Eren’s hair again, “If you want to leave tonight after dinner we can. I’m sure your parents will understand.” 

Eren groaned, “I don’t know. I want to spend time with my family, just not them, you know?”

“I know,” Levi knew exactly what Eren was feeling. He was becoming fond of the Jaeger family minus the two harsh grandparents. Grandma Schmidt was amazing, Mikasa felt like real family now since clearing up their misunderstanding, Carla and Grisha treated him like their own son, which he appreciated immensely, “whatever you decide, I’ll go along with.”

“Let me think about it for a few hours, and I’ll let you know,” Eren tilted his head up to kiss his boyfriend, who had been nothing but supportive and kind, completely the opposite of what he thought he knew Levi was. There really was a whole other side to this man, depending who he was around, and how he felt about that person. He noticed the raven acted towards the Jaegers how he used to act toward Eren; he was rude, short tempered, and snappy, even if they didn’t understand English. But at the same time, when Grandma, Mikasa, or Eren’s parents were around he was kind, polite, and even let himself smile just a little. It was plainly obvious there were two sides to this man, and Eren was just glad he was now on his good side, remembering what it was like to be on the other end. 

After laying around for a few more minutes, Eren decided it would be best for them to head upstairs and see if Carla needed any help. She was bound to be busy preparing a feast for 8 people that night, and probably making breakfast, too.

The two dressed and made their way up the stairs. When they got there, Ilse was sitting at the dining table with a harsh glare focused on the two college students. Eren’s immediate though was, ‘She knows’. He paled considerably.

She stood from her chair and approached Eren. When she got there, she slapped him across the cheek. Hard. Levi gaped at it, seeing tears well up in the brunet’s beautiful teal eyes. The raven’s face contorted in anger. The woman raised her hand again, and Levi reacted. He grasped the old woman’s wrist before she could do it again, hard enough to get his point across, but not hard enough for it to hurt. She said something to him in German, but he didn’t care what it was, it was probably derogatory anyways. In as simple language as he could, he responded, “Do not touch him again.” 

She understood apparently, because she replied in broken English, “why you care?”

“Because I care about him.” Levi let go of her wrist, and she took a step back.

“Gays don’t care, only want sex.”

“That’s not true,” Levi was fuming. How could she possibly think that was true? “We feel love, the same as you.”

“You love Eren?” She glared heatedly at the raven, and he returned it just as heated.

He looked back at Eren, who had tears streaming down his face and was looking at him expectantly, waiting for his answer. Levi’s face softened at the realization, “Yes. I do. I have loved him for a long time. I was just too stubborn to accept it until now.”

The German woman spoke quickly to Eren, and Eren replied quietly. The woman touched Levi on the shoulder, and he turned back to face her. In very broken English, she spoke directly to him, still glaring, but this time for a different reason. “You lie, I kill you. Eren is my enkel. I love him, too. You hurt him, I hurt you.”

Levi got the point, and the woman walked away. She turned back to speak quickly in German to Eren. Eren wiped his eyes as she turned the corner and he pulled Levi into an embrace. “I love you, too.” 

Levi pulled Eren down for a quick kiss, “What did she say just now?”

“She said she would leave us alone, she just doesn’t want to see our affection directly. She told me to keep it to ourselves and she would ignore it,” Eren kissed Levi again, then pulled away as Carla came into the kitchen, “I guess she isn’t so bad. Sort of. We can stay until tomorrow.”

Levi nodded, then turned to Carla, who was pulling out things to start cooking. They could see the turkey on the counter, and Levi decided to help, “Carla, what can we do to help you prepare?”

“Oh, Levi. Do you know how to make stuffing for the turkey?” she asked, pointing to bags of dried bread cubes on the counter.

“I do. I’m assuming you want me to do that?”

She nodded, “And Eren, why don’t you start on the yams I taught you how to make a few years ago.”

Eren nodded, walking toward the kitchen behind Levi, “okay.”

The three of them moved through the kitchen at a good pace, and Levi made everyone a quick breakfast of eggs and bacon. They skipped lunch in favor of an early dinner. With Levi and Eren’s help, they were going to have everything ready by 3 or 4 that afternoon. Mikasa and Grisha were in charge of setting and decorating the table, and they would be on clean up duty afterward. 

Eventually, Grandma Schmidt joined the other three in the kitchen to start on pies. She made apple, pumpkin, banana crème, Lemon merengue, and cherry. They smelled delicious as they were put into one of three ovens one by one, and made everyone’s mouths water. One of the ovens was taken by the turkey the whole day, so they rotated the other two. They spent the whole day cooking, picking at the food, chatting, and laughing. All of the cooks loved to cook, so enjoyed every minute of it. 

They made the pies, turkey, yams, mashed potatoes, Jell-O, and rolls. They prepared vegetables, and cranberries. By the time they were done, there was enough food to feed an army. They would most definitely have leftovers. 

The cooks left the food for a few minutes to go change, and tell everyone they were ready to eat. Eren ran down the stairs a few minutes after Levi, and walked into the spare room to see Levi look up at him in question, “What?”

“What am I supposed to wear?”

Eren laughed, “You know my family, whatever you wear is fine as long as it isn’t covered in flour, like that is,” the brunet pointed at Levi’s current shirt and jeans. 

Levi rolled his eyes, “Do I have time to shower?”

“Yes, but make it quick. Everyone’s hungry and won’t wait forever.”

Ten minutes later they were back upstairs and seated around the table. Grisha and Mikasa had moved all of the food from the kitchen to the table, and everything looked amazing. Grisha sat in his place at the head of the table, and Carla sat to his right. Eren was to his left with Levi next to him, and Grandma Schmidt next to him. Mikasa was next to Carla, Ilse next to her, and Hans at the other end across from Grisha. Once everyone was seated they started eating. They ate until they could barely move they were so full. 

It was a peaceful dinner with light conversation and laughter. Everyone seemed content, and none of them could have asked for anything better than that on Thanksgiving.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving part 2, and Levi and Eren take a drive to Levi's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys. The content rating is going up now! There's nothing explicit in this story, because I don't want any readers to stop reading due to explicit content, but I have enough mentions at this point of adult themes that I find it necessary to change the rating. If you want the explicit stuff, I am going to write it still, but I will post it as its own story. Other than that, Happy reading!

When Everyone finished eating, and they were sitting around the table feeling way too full, and keeping up light, easy conversation, Carla interrupted the peace they had for a far more cliché option, “Alright, I know this sounds cheesy, but I want to go around the table and have everyone say something they are grateful for. It only has to be one thing, and take this seriously, please,” she looked pointedly at Eren. Grisha translated for his parents right after. “Why don’t you start, Mom.”

Grandma Schmidt pointed to herself, and Carla nodded. “Alright, I guess I have many things to be grateful for, but right now the number one thing is my family that continues to grow. My daughter, my grandson, and my granddaughter. Levi, I count you as my family, too. I think we all do.”

They all looked to Hans for his answer. He said something in German that Levi, of course, didn’t understand. Eren translated for him that he was grateful to have time to spend with his son.

Ilse was translated for as well, and she said she was grateful for her continued health in her old age. 

Mikasa was next, “I know this is going to sound crazy, because we didn’t get along two days ago, but I’m grateful for Levi. He’s been good for Eren, and I can see how happy he makes him. I also know he has done something, I’m not sure what, to calm Eren down over the last two days that our grandparents have been here. Because, let’s be honest, he would have exploded a long time ago,” Carla, Grisha, Eren, and Grandma Schmidt all chuckled at that, “So Levi, thanks for being good for Eren. And I’m sorry I misjudged you. You’re the only blood family I have left, so I wont push you away anymore. Thanks for giving me a chance even though I didn’t give you one.”

Levi nodded, and Eren smiled at her. Everyone else that spoke English was gaping at her. Carla was supposed to be next, but instead she asked Mikasa a question, “blood family?”

“Yeah. Levi’s my cousin.” She didn’t explain further, just left the information hanging. 

“How do you know that?” Grisha addressed Levi.

“I recognized her from the picture hanging by the front door. I asked Eren if she was adopted and when, and I deduced it from there. When I knew her story without Eren telling me anything about it, it became obvious. She’s the daughter of my mother’s brother.”

“So why didn’t she end up with someone else in your family? How did she end up in the system?” Grisha asked. 

“My mother died before I was even a year old, and my uncle took in both my brother and I. He refused to take in another of his sibling’s children.” Levi explained as simply as possible. The English speakers in the room nodded in understanding. 

“Well, I guess it’s my turn,” Carla changed the subject. “I am so grateful to have my family here. I know we have all said that at this point, but it’s true. I love everyone here so much, even when we don’t always get along.” She turned to her left, “Grisha, your turn.”

Grisha smiled warmly around at everyone around the table, “I will probably just echo my wife on this one. I’m grateful to have my parents here. We don’t get to see them often, and I’m always happy when they are around. They can be harsh, but it’s only because they love their family. Levi, I want to echo Mikasa when I say I’m grateful for you, too. She’s right. Eren is different somehow with you around, and it’s not a bad thing.” 

Levi nodded, and Eren could see a slight blush creep up on his cheeks. He chuckled, reaching under the table to grab Levi’s hand. He squeezed, and Levi returned the gesture. “My turn?” Carla nodded. “I’m grateful for a lot of things this year. I’m grateful to be able to go to school and get an education, and to be here with my family for the holidays. I’m grateful to have a sister that understands me and wants the best for me, even if she doesn’t always approach it the right way. I’m grateful to Levi for being understanding and level headed even when I’m not and I only want to punch a hole in the wall.” Everyone around the table chuckled, and Eren could even hear a chuckle from Levi. Eren eyed the Jaegers for a second, and they both turned their heads long enough to peck Levi on the cheek. Carla giggled into her hand at the sight, and Grisha smiled as if he were proud. “Your turn Levi.”

“Oh, I don’t know…”

Carla interrupted what Levi was saying, “I know you think you don’t have a right to speak up at this table, but you have now heard from multiple people that we consider you part of the family for as long as you are by Eren’s side. You have just as much say as the rest of us. So go on.”

Levi smiled gratefully, “I don’t really know what to say. There’s more than I can even express.”

“Why don’t you just give us three or four that you think are important?” Grisha suggested. 

Levi nodded again, “In that case, I’ll start with the reason I’m here at all. I’m grateful to be here and that you have allowed me into your home on such a big holiday, and for treating me as if I’m part of the family. I haven’t felt like part of a family in a very long time, and it’s a pretty amazing feeling. The next thing I’m sure most of you won’t understand, but I’m grateful to be alive. The last five or six years have been the hardest years of my life, and I’m just grateful I’ve survived through it all. I’m grateful to have found Eren, who has accepted me into his life, despite all of my faults, which are many.”

“You are the only one who sees them as faults, Levi,” Eren interrupts. “I see them as your strengths.”

“I appreciate that. And that’s why I have fallen in love with you, as crazy as that is for me to admit, not only to you, but to myself as well.” Eren smiles at the recent development of I love you’s. “Lastly, I’m so very grateful to the friends who have stuck with me through everything. They aren’t here to hear it, but I appreciate them more than they could ever possibly comprehend. Especially Hanji. After all, I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for that crazy ass woman.”

Eren laughs, “she’s totally insane.”

Mikasa chuckles with them, “that she is.”

Levi smiles a little to himself, clearly not thinking about a present time. He let his mind drift for only a moment back to that day when she literally barreled into him to keep him from pulling the trigger. He was soon pulled from his thoughts by Eren, who gave his hand another squeeze. 

Grisha stood up after that, and invited Mikasa and the Jaegers to join him in cleaning up after the dinner, excusing Carla, Eren, Levi, and Grandma Schmidt because they had done all of the cooking. The four of them decided to head to the sitting room, where they could listen to Levi play soft melodies on the piano in the room while they held light conversation, in English, much to Levi’s pleasure. 

As Levi let his hands dance across the keys, he let his mind wander. This last week with the Jaeger family had been rather amazing, and eventful. He had arrived six days earlier a single man believing the only reason he had been invited was out of pity. Now he had a kind, beautiful, amazing boyfriend that accepted him no matter what he had done or what happened in his past, and the closest thing he ever had to a real family. These people took him in with open arms, asking no questions, and making him feel at home. Levi felt that there could be nothing better than that. This Thanksgiving would be one he would always remember, no matter what happened in the future with him and Eren. Nothing could change how he felt in that moment of peace and comfort. 

Levi let a content smile rest on his face for the rest of the night as they were called back into the kitchen for pie and ice cream a while later. He and Eren sat on bar stools in the kitchen to eat their pie, and acted like a real couple for the first time in front of Eren’s family. They fed each other pies off of each other’s plates, and stole bites of ice cream from each other. Eventually, they ran out of dessert, and Eren gave Levi a peck on the lips before taking their plates to the sink to be washed later. 

Everyone watched a movie that night with German subtitles playing along the bottom. Bear the dog sat on his haunches by Eren, who gladly petted him through almost the entire movie with one hand, and held Levi’s with the other. 

That night Eren and Levi went to bed without the pretense of sleeping in separate rooms, and shared chaste kisses and murmured sweet nothings to each other. They fell asleep with full stomachs and content smiles on their faces as Eren pressed himself back into Levi’s strong, warm embrace. 

The next day, Eren and Levi found themselves sad to be leaving, yet eager to get going. They packed their bags and loaded them into the car after breakfast. They knew they wouldn’t be leaving until that night, but they wanted to be ready for that time. Eren couldn’t seem to keep himself from asking Levi questions, either. “What is your house like?”

“I don’t know. It’s a house.” Levi responded absentmindedly, working on his arrangement. 

Eren sighed, “yeah, but what does it look like? Is it bigger than this house? What color is the outside? How many bathrooms does it have?” 

Levi groaned, putting his pencil down to face Eren and answer his questions, “It’s bigger than this house. Too big for one person, really. Hell, it was too big for three people. There are eight bedrooms that currently have beds in them, one that is used as more of an office, and one where I store my various musical instruments. That’s ten bedrooms technically speaking. It has five and a half bathrooms. There are two floors and a basement. Four of the ten bedrooms are in the basement, and two of the bathrooms are down there. There’s also a mini kitchen, a theater room, and a game room down there. 

“On the main floor are the kitchen, living room, a formal sitting room that, like your parent’s, is my piano room, and a formal dining room. Two bedrooms are on that floor, including the one I use as an office. The top floor is where the other bedrooms are, including the master bed and bath, and two other bathrooms, and of course, a library, though not as extensive as your dad’s. The main floor has the half bath. The outside is half gray siding and half stone.” 

Levi took a breath, “happy now?”

Eren was practically glowing with excitement, “no way! I won’t be satisfied until I see this mansion of yours!”

“It’s not a mansion.”

“Sounds like it.”

Levi thinks about it for a minute, “I guess it kind of does, huh?”

“Does it have a pool?”

Levi cocks his eyebrow, “yes, but it’s outdoors so we can’t use it. It’s empty right now. I have a hot tub we could use though.”

Eren pumped his fist, “Hell yes!” Eren was vibrating with excitement. “Did you say the three of you paid for this with cash?”

Levi nodded.

“Holy shit! You guys were loaded!”

“Eren, I still kind of am. When Isabel and Farlan died they didn’t have anyone to leave their money to. I was both of their beneficiaries. I inherited their share of everything.”

Eren’s jaw dropped, “that’s amazing!” Levi gave him a look, and Eren realized what he said, “I mean, not that you inherited their money… I mean… well…” Eren tensed up, looking very nervous, “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.”

Levi shook his head, “It’s alright, just watch what you say, would you?” He turned back to the piano to play again, and Eren finally shut up for a while. 

The rest of the day went quicker than any of them would have liked, and before long dinner was over, and Levi and Eren were saying their goodbyes. They knew they would see everyone soon for Christmas, except maybe the Jaegers, they still weren’t sure if they were going to come back for Christmas and the new year, but the parting was still sad. They had all grown to be very close over the last week, and learned to enjoy each other’s company. 

Carla and Grandma Schmidt were wishing them luck on finals, and telling them to be safe. The Jaegers stood back and watched them go without saying much. Mikasa gave both Eren and Levi a big hug, telling them she couldn’t wait to see them both again. Grisha was the only one who deviated from this, and it made both Eren and Levi blush and move faster out the door to get away from him, “You boys be safe, and I mean that for more than just the drive. Use protection.”

Eren could hear Levi make a sound in the back of his throat, and Eren turned bright red all the way down his neck. Eren fumbled with the door behind him, grabbing Levi’s wrist, who was rooted to the spot, looking totally embarrassed, and mumbled a quick goodbye before dragging his boyfriend to the car and shoving him into the driver’s seat. The brunet got in on the passenger side, and the two were on their way. Eren buried his face in his hands, “my dad is so freaking awful. He has no shame.”

“That’s because he’s a doctor,” Levi clarified what didn’t need to be clarified.

“Yeah, I know. Let’s just get to your house so we can enjoy a weekend of peace and quiet.” Eren looked out his window at his hometown passing by.

Levi chuckled a little, “or so we can have sex.”

Eren blushed again and spluttered, “n…no! I… I mean… well… um… that’s….ugh…” Eren groaned, knowing he couldn’t counter that at all, and instead asked, “are you clean?”

“Yes,” Levi didn’t even hesitate in his answer. “I was tested about a year ago, and I haven’t done anything since. What about you?”

“I’m clean. The last time I had sex was with my last boyfriend who cheated on me toward the end of our relationship. I was super worried about it, so when we broke up I was tested like four times.” Eren seemed a bit put-off.

“That’s a bit excessive, don’t you think?” Levi looked at Eren from the corner of his eye.

“Maybe a little, but I wasn’t the only one worried about it. My dad made me get two of the four tests.” 

Levi nodded, “that makes sense. Your boyfriend cheated on you?”

Eren nodded, “yeah, he’s a total douchebag. We had been together for almost two years. We were seniors in high school together, and started college together. We had talked about maybe getting married, too. We wanted to wait another year or two, but that was the plan. Then I found out he had been sleeping with another man for about six months. At that point I was just glad we weren’t sharing a dorm room. I think he’s still with that other man, too. I don’t think I could trust someone if I knew they had cheated on someone else.”

Levi scoffed, “douchebag is an understatement. Did he really dare to talk to you about marriage when he was sleeping with another man?” Eren nodded. “Can I ask what his name was?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty much over it,” Eren nodded, taking Levi’s hand over the center console. “His name was Reiner Braun. The man he cheated on me with was Bertholdt Hoover. I knew him, too. He was part of our friend group in school. We had all been friends since middle school.”

“So how did you end up in a relationship with a friend?”

“I don’t really know to be completely honest. I knew I had a crush on the guy, and he kept giving me these looks. Before I knew it, we were making out in the bathroom that no one used because that was where they gay couples went to have sex, which was what we ended up doing. After that we just started calling each other ‘boyfriend’.”

“And this other guy was supposedly another friend of yours?” 

“Yeah, supposedly. I guess not, since he obviously knew about our relationship, yet decided to let Reiner seduce him, or possibly the other way around. Though I don’t see him as the guy who would be able to do something like that. I don’t know how my ex ended up fucking someone else, but I don’t really want to know, either.” Eren seemed like he was still angry about it, “whatever. It’s in the past, and I’ve long since moved on.”

“Okay. We can change topics now, if you’d like.” Levi glanced at Eren from the corner of his eye. The brunet was looking both dejected and pissed off, though still held Levi’s hand with a certain tenderness. 

“That would be good. This is just pissing me off.” He lifted Levi’s hand to his lips and murmured into it, “you said you’ve never been in a relationship before, right?” 

Levi nodded, “A few one night stands, and nothing more. When was the first time you had sex?”

Eren laughed, obviously amused by the thought, “actually, it was with someone I still know and see all the time. We’re still friends, weirdly enough. There’s never been any romantic feelings between us, in fact, we don’t really get along at all. I’m sure I’ve complained to you about him before. I call him horse-face. His name is Jean.” Levi made an ‘o’ shape with his mouth, knowing exactly who Eren was talking about, though he’s never met the guy. “We were young, like fifteen. It was right before I came out to my parents. Jean and Armin were the only ones who knew about my sexuality. Jean came out to me a few days earlier, and he was the only other gay guy I knew. We were both rather curious about how it all worked, so we were just experimenting. You know, jacking each other off, kissing, and other lighter stuff. Nothing extreme. Now that I think about it, he was my first kiss, too. But anyways, one day he had googled gay sex. We had never gotten even close to that. We hadn’t even given each other blow jobs at this point, but he wanted to try it. Once I learned how it worked, I was a little apprehensive. I had a feeling it would hurt.

“His parents were out of the house that day, and he was able to convince me to do it. I figured it would happen one day, and it must feel good if this was something people did, so I went with it. It was super awkward, and just thinking about it makes me cringe. We were terrible, but we figured it out eventually and got ourselves to cum. I remember being mad that he came inside me, and he swore he would never do it again. We did it a few more times, but eventually decided we had absolutely no feelings toward each other, so we stopped. It was only after that I learned we were supposed to use condoms if we didn’t know the other was clean, and even after that because you just never know.”  
Levi was chuckling, and Eren had to ask, “what about your first time?”

Levi glanced over at him, “mine isn’t an enjoyable story. In fact, I’m not even sure if it would be my first time, because I don’t remember all of the things Kenny did to me since I blocked a lot of it out. He very well could have been my first. But the one I count as my first went something like this: I was about the same age, fifteen or sixteen, and I had just bought my own apartment. I was angry one day, and I don’t even remember why, but I remember going home with someone random to prove a point. He wasn’t gentle at all, and after that I decided I would rarely ever bottom again, if at all. I haven’t bottomed since then, actually.”

Eren frowned, “damn. I was hoping for a funny or awkward story. Oh well.” 

Levi than came up with a new question, “How many people have you had sex with?”

Eren laughed, “I never thought you would ask something like that. But I’ve had sex with three people so far.” Levi nodded, and made a face that almost spoke surprise. Eren winked at him “I hope it doesn’t get higher than four.”

Levi smirked, “who is the third? I know about horse-face and your ex, but who is the other?”

Eren scratched the back of his head, looking slightly abashed, “that one is a little different. It was before I started seeing Reiner, and I was pretty wound up and sexually frustrated from watching a man I thought I couldn’t have. He proved me wrong not long after, but still. Anyways, I don’t even remember the guy’s name, but he was super attractive, and I did it because I knew it would release a little tension. We did it in the back of his truck in the school parking lot. He obviously had a lot more experience than I did, but that was what I was looking for. He was a pretty good top, I just didn’t have any feelings for him either.”

“So you didn’t experience sex with feelings until you were with Reiner?” Eren nodded to Levi’s question.

“But now I have to know, too. How many, Levi?” Eren looked at Levi expectantly. 

“Four,” was his simple response. “I hope it doesn’t get higher than five.”

Eren laughed at that. The rest of their car ride was spent talking about first times and other weird and embarrassing things. By the time they pulled into the driveway of Levi’s house, Eren had no interest in what the house looked like, or where things were. He only wanted Levi, and the raven apparently had similar thoughts as he pulled into the garage and then didn’t even turn any lights on in the house before picking Eren up and carrying him upstairs to his bedroom, making out with him all the way. 

His memory, he found out, was a little faulty because he missed the top step and tripped over it on the way to the bedroom. The two of them fell into a heap on the soft carpet at the top of the stairs, and Eren laughed into Levi’s shoulder that was in his face. Levi couldn’t help but laugh with him. He kissed Eren again, and picked him back up. This time, Eren wound his legs around Levi’s waist and clung to him, grinding his hips into Levi’s. When they reached the bedroom, Levi threw Eren onto the bed, pulling off both of their shoes, and crawling to hover over Eren. He had a feeling this would be a night he would never forget.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi have a fluff-filled day of relaxation, among other things ;)

Eren woke up the next morning to the sun shining on his face, forcing him into a sleepy wakefulness. Levi’s arms weren’t around him, and Eren turned to see if Levi was on the other side of the massive king-size bed. He was met with cold, empty sheets. He sat up to look around, something he didn’t have a chance to do the night before. The room was large. There was a big window to his left, mostly covered by gray curtains, except for the small gap that let in just enough sunlight to wake him up. The door was straight across the room from where he sat, and to his right was anther door that he assumed led to the bathroom. 

Eren pulled himself from the bed, but as soon as he was on his feet a sharp pain shot up his spine from his lower back, his legs buckled and he collapsed into a heap on the soft carpet. “Shit.” Eren moaned, trying to pull himself back up onto his feet. He was so sore he could barely stand. The brunet laughed, though, knowing exactly why this was happening. Levi was the best lover he had yet. He was kind and gentle with him in the beginning, but later pounded into him with intense fervor. He had told Eren he wouldn’t be able to walk the next day. Eren chuckled at the memory, “damn, he wasn’t kidding.”

The brunet tried once again to pull himself up, and the bedroom door opened right then. Levi came in wearing nothing but sweatpants, holding a couple bottles of water, and upon seeing Eren in a heap on the floor, dropped them. He raced over to Eren, cupping his cheek, “Eren, are you alright? What happened? Why are you on the floor?”

Eren blushed furiously, “I… Uh… Can’t walk…” 

Eren could see the gears turning in Levi’s head before he smirked, “Is that a bad thing?”

“Depends. What do you have planned for us today?” the brunet took Levi’s hand in his own and kissed the palm.

Levi pulled Eren to his feet so that he could sit back down on the bed, “well I was thinking we could go out to breakfast, but since you can’t walk I have a better idea. If you can give me an hour I’ll run to the store and get enough food for the day, since I have literally no food, then I’m going to pamper you and spoil you rotten with baths, movies, treats, massages, or anything else you want. Sound good?”

“That sounds amazing. So I guess it’s a good thing if I get to be spoiled for not being able to walk.” Eren smiled as Levi leaned in to give him a tender kiss. The brunet snaked his arms around Levi’s waist and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, pushing his tongue past Levi’s thin lips and exploring his mouth with his tongue. 

Eren whimpered when Levi pulled away, and the raven smirked at him, “ready for round two already, Brat.”

The brunet bit his bottom lip and nodded, pulling Levi in again to take his mouth in a fiery kiss. When they parted for air they were both so turned on they couldn’t help it. Eren’s mouth went to Levi’s collar bones, and soon they were back at it, though this time Levi was a lot gentler, not wanting to make Eren any more sore than he already was. 

When they laid together afterwards, Eren’s head on Levi’s chest, breathing heavy and feeling a little sleepy, Levi spoke logically, “I think I should go to the store now. It’s almost ten o’clock, and we have a whole day of pampering to get to.”

Eren sighed, “fine, but can I take a bath while you’re gone?”

Levi chuckled, kissing the top of Eren’s head, “of course. Come on.” Levi got off the bed, and pulled Eren into his arms princess style, and carried him to the bathroom. He sat Eren on the edge of the massive bathtub big enough for two people and started the water running. When he was sure the water temperature was okay he picked Eren up again and lowered him into the water. “There are heaters here,” Levi pointed to the controls on the wall, “they will keep the water warm for as long as you want. You can also use the jets if you’d like. I’m going to go get you a towel, then I’ll head out. I shouldn’t be too long. I’m only getting enough for today and tomorrow.” Eren smiled contently when Levi kissed his forehead before retreating back into the bedroom, giving Eren a good view of his naked ass on the way out. 

When he came back in he was wearing clothes, much to Eren’s dismay. He put the towel on the counter by the sink and gave Eren one more kiss before leaving. Eren stayed in the bathtub for about twenty minutes, messing with the jets and thinking about Levi, before he quickly washed himself with Levi’s shampoo and soap, and hoisted himself out of the water, hoping he could at least make it back to the bed without collapsing again. 

He was pleasantly surprised to find his aching muscles less achy than before, and he was able to walk again, with a limp of course, but walking none the less. Eren wrapped the towel around his waist, and made his way to the bedroom where Levi had laid out Eren’s favorite pair of sweatpants. The raven knew him so well. 

After pulling the soft fabric on, not bothering with boxers or a shirt, he decided to look around the massive house a little. He was still a little sore, so he was slow moving, but he didn’t mind. When he left the bedroom he remembered Levi saying something about the library being on the second floor, so he set on a mission to find it. It didn’t take long, the first door he opened led to the very room he was looking for. Levi’s library was small, but still had a lot of books in it. There was also a very comfortable couch in the middle of the room that he could see himself getting used to. 

There were some pictures on a shelf by the door, and Eren moved to take a closer look. The first one captured his interest immediately. It was a picture of Levi and two other people that he hadn’t seen before. There was a girl with messy red pigtails who was about the same height as Levi, and a tall boy with sandy blond hair. Eren immediately deduced them to be Isabel and Farlan. They were at the beach, and all three of them had huge smiles on their faces. The majority of these pictures were of the three of them, except for two. One of them was a picture of Hanji and Erwin, and the other was a picture of a man that looked kind of like Levi, but his face had sharper angles and he had brown eyes. He thought maybe this could be Levi’s brother, but he couldn’t be sure. He didn’t even know the guy’s name. He made a mental note to ask Levi later. 

He moved back down the shelf to look at the picture of them on the beach again, and didn’t notice when Levi entered the room. He was startled when he felt a set of strong arms wrap around him from behind. Levi spoke quietly when Eren turned back to the pictures on the shelf, “I miss them.”

Eren’s heart dropped at the quiet confession, “I know.”

“That was a good day. It was the first time Isabel had ever seen the ocean, and her happiness was contagious. We couldn’t help but smile with her.” Levi rested his chin on Eren’s shoulder, looking at the photo. 

Eren proceeded to ask about all of them until he got to the picture of the strange man, “is this your brother?”

“Yeah. He can be a douche, but he’s still my brother.” Levi buried his face in Eren’s back.

Eren grabbed Levi’s hands with his own, “what’s his name?”

“I haven’t told you that yet?” Eren shook his head, and Levi sighed, “his name is Eric Louis Ackerman. Eric means ‘eternal ruler’ in Norse, and Louis means warrior in French.”

“Is your name French, too?” Eren asks quietly.

“I’m not really sure. My uncle changed my name when I was very young because he couldn’t ever spell my name correctly. I don’t really remember what my birth name was. I would have to find my birth certificate, and I don’t think I’m the one who has it. I think Kenny does, which is a scary thought. That would mean facing him again.” Levi tightened his arms around Eren, and the brunet could almost feel the fear and nervousness radiating off of him. 

“You don’t have to do that, I was just curious.” Eren turned in Levi’s arms and hugged him close to his chest. 

“Actually, Eren, I do,” Levi pulled away to look at Eren. “I will need that certificate at some point. I’ll have to face him again sooner or later. No matter how much I don’t want to face my past, I will have to eventually.”

“I could go with you if you want,” Eren offered, and Levi shook his head.

“No. I couldn’t do that to you. He’s cruel, and I won’t subject you to his ways.” Levi looked at Eren sternly, clearly not going to budge on the topic.

Eren sighed, “and you shouldn’t have to subject yourself to it, either.” 

“I won’t have much other choice when it comes down to it. He has a few things that I’ll need eventually.” Levi thought for a minute. Then he brought up something Eren didn’t expect to hear from Levi for quite some time, if ever, “for example, if I decide to marry someone, I have to have it. I won’t be able to avoid that. Maybe I should just get it over with…”

The raven buried his face in Eren’s neck, letting the brunet see his vulnerable side for just a minute. Eren rubbed his back, still thinking about the quick mention of the ‘m’ word, “just do it when you’re ready. Don’t do it before then, or the experience will be much worse. And I hope you aren’t already thinking about marrying me.”

Levi pulled back, “No! Goodness no. It’s way too early for thoughts like that. We’ve barely been dating a week. I personally think we need to be together at least a year, if not more, before we even think about something like that.”

Eren laughed, “I had a feeling that was the answer,” he leaned in to peck Levi on the cheek, “I just found it kind of funny that you even mentioned it.”

Levi chuckled, “well, believe it or not, it’s something I’ve always wanted. Domesticity is a weakness of mine, and probably a fetish, too. I will probably ask you to move in with me sooner rather than later. I can’t wait to see you in my kitchen with an apron on, or having a usual spot on the sofa in the living room, or folding laundry on the bed. To me, that’s hot. Hotter than any scene we could come up with in the bedroom.”

Eren laughed boisterously, “that’s amazing, Levi. Who knew a guy like you could be so… well… simple.” 

Levi rolled his eyes, “speaking of simple, I bought eggs, milk, and bread for some toast. I even bought some bacon.”

Eren’s mouth started to water and his stomach growled at the mention of food, “that sounds amazing…”

Levi chuckled, “apparently your stomach agrees with you.”

Eren blushed, and Levi pulled him back out into the hallway, closing the door to the library as he went, and led him downstairs and into the kitchen where there were a few plastic sacks of food on the counter. Eren started to help put the food away, but Levi stopped him, “ah, ah, ah. I’m pampering you today, remember? Go sit your pretty ass down,” Levi squeezed Eren’s butt for emphasis, “and let me do the work, m’kay?”  
Eren rolled his eyes, but took a seat at a bar stool anyways. He watched Levi move through the kitchen as he cooked, mesmerized at the way he was able to do multiple things at once. He almost didn’t notice when Levi placed a plate of food in front of him, almost. He thanked Levi quickly before digging into his breakfast. His stomach gurgled as he took his first few bites, and Eren moaned at the taste. Levi smirked at the sound, eating his own plate of food next to Eren. 

When they finished, Levi stood back up, taking the plates with him to wash in the sink. Eren decided this would be good time to do some more exploring, so got up from his stool to walk around. The kitchen and living room were connected, just like in Eren’s parent’s house, and the leather couch in the living room looked very comfortable. There was a massive TV hanging on the wall over the fireplace. There was a small table in the kitchen just big enough for four people, but Levi didn’t seem to need more than that. At the other end of the living room was a set of glass doors, and Eren could see a larger dining table inside the room. All of the rooms were decorated in a way that set the mood for each one: pictures and paintings of food and funny quotes in the kitchen, pictures of familiar smiling faces in the living room, and gorgeous, expensive looking paintings in the dining room. 

The entry way was in the center of the house, and by the front door was a formal sitting room, and inside of that larger than normal sitting room was the most gorgeous piano Eren had ever seen. He approached it, not daring to touch the shiny black surface, or the gold logo that labeled the piano Steinway and Sons. 

“Beautiful piano, isn’t it?” Eren nodded when Levi spoke up next to him. 

“Will you play it for me?” Eren asked, not looking away from the instrument.

“Of course,” Levi moved to sit at the bench, and opened the lid that hid the white and black keys below it. He placed his hands on the keys, and started to play. The piano had a rich, beautiful sound, and Levi obviously took good care of the instrument, because it was perfectly in tune, and even though it was a little dusty, it was still polished underneath. 

When the song ended, Eren sat next to Levi at the bench and kissed him sweetly. The raven spoke when they pulled apart, “would you like to see the rest of the house?”

Eren nodded, and Levi closed the lid to the piano before giving him the grand tour. They started in the basement where Levi pointed out the four bedrooms down there, and the game room that had a pool table, ping-pong table, and what looked like an entertainment center that had some game consoles in it. Eren would be using that. There was a theater with twelve recliner chairs and a few couches lining the walls, and a kitchenette close by the game room to be easily accessible. 

They moved upstairs and Levi showed him the rooms he had already seen, plus the two bedrooms that were used as an office and music storage respectively. The storage room had boxes of sheet music, and a few other instruments, including a guitar, cello, saxophone, and a violin. Eren asked if Levi could play them all, and Levi told him he could, but not as well as he could play the piano. He also said it had been years since he had even touched the saxophone. 

They moved back upstairs at that point, and Levi showed Eren the other three bedrooms on that floor. Two of them were connected by a bathroom, and the other one had it’s own. When they finished the tour inside the house, Eren remembered something important, “you said you have a hot tub.”

Levi rolled his eyes, leading Eren back to the master bedroom, “I do.”

Eren started to jump up and down, but stopped, hissing when it jostled his aching back. He got over the pain quickly, though, and was back to being excited, just a little more contained. “Can we use it? Please, please, please!”

Levi looked Eren straight in the eyes before stripping his shirt and shorts off his body without saying a word, walking back out of the bedroom completely naked. Eren was a little stunned, but was pulled from his state of shock by Levi poking his head back into the room, “are you coming, Brat? You can’t very well sit in a hot tub wearing sweat pants, can you?”

Eren was quick about dropping his sweats on the floor, folding them and putting them on the bed when Levi glared at him, and following Levi down to the kitchen and out the back door. He felt a little self-conscious walking through a strange house naked, and had to remind himself that he and Levi were the only ones there, and Levi had already seen him naked. 

Levi opened the back door, and they were greeted with the sight of Levi’s massive back yard, though not as big as Eren’s parent’s, that was kept private by big trees and bushes all the way around the perimeter. The yard was grassy and green, except for the deck they were standing on, and the concrete that surrounded the covered pool. The hot tub was to their right, covered by a brown solid cover. 

Eren shivered as Levi walked over to it and pulled the cover off. Steam rolled off the water, and Eren rushed over to get in the hot water. They settled down in the water quickly to get out of the cold November, almost December, air. They sat in opposite corners at first, but soon Eren decided he didn’t like that idea, and moved to sit next to Levi, trying to settle leaning into Levi’s side. He couldn’t find a comfortable position, though, and soon Levi grunted and maneuvered Eren so that he was sitting in Levi’s lap sideways and could lay his head on Levi’s shoulder. 

They talked quietly, enjoying the hot water until things started to become frisky. Levi decided at that point that he didn’t have any interest in having sex in the hot tub because he didn’t want to have to clean it, so he hoisted Eren up and out of the water. He followed immediately after, covering the hot tub, and moving them inside and up into the shower quickly to keep shivering and teeth chattering to a minimum.  
Only when they were in the shower did Levi allow them both to take things to the next level, letting their moans and Eren’s screams echo off the walls of the bathroom.  
After their shower, Eren wanted to watch a movie on the big TV in the living room, so that’s what they did. Eren chose a cheesy romcom, and they didn’t pay too much attention to it, far more interested in making out and whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears. 

Eren eventually fell asleep on Levi’s chest, and Levi let himself smile fondly into chestnut locks. He turned the TV off and let his own eyes drift closed.

When Eren woke up he was surprised to hear light snoring underneath him. He moved his head to look up at Levi, who was clearly asleep, hugging Eren to him like he was a teddy bear. His face was relaxed, and he looked so peaceful Eren thought maybe he wouldn’t recognize him like this if he didn’t know better. He was snoring just a little, and it made Eren chuckle. The sound was just enough to make Levi’s eyes start to flutter open, and the snoring ceased.

Eren pecked Levi on the lips, “how did you sleep?”

Levi stretched a little underneath Eren, “fine. What about you?”

Eren smiled contently, “I slept great until your snoring woke me up.”

The raven furrowed his brow and frowned at the brunet, “I don’t snore.”

“You totally do,” Eren teased.

“I do not,” Levi looked like he was ready to punch Eren in the face if he was lying.

“Yes, you do,” Eren knew he wouldn’t follow through with the punching even if he wanted to, because he loved the brunet. 

“Prove it,” Levi challenged.

“I will. Next time I catch you snoring I’ll take a video.” Levi looked really confused for a second.

“Did I really snore?” Eren nodded to the question, and Levi groaned.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s adorable.” Eren grinned up at the raven.

“I’m not adorable,” Levi complained wholeheartedly. “That’s not why I work out every day at five o’clock in the morning.”

Eren laughed at the comment, “You are so adorable, but guess what? You are also sexy, tough, hot as hell, and one hundred percent perfect.”

A slight blush adorned Levi’s face at the string of compliments, but mostly the last one. “perfect…” he sounded like he had mixed emotions about the idea.

“Yes, Levi. You are perfect, whether you believe it or not. You and all of your perfect imperfections.”

“That’s cheesy as hell,” Levi stated matter of fact, and Eren laughed again.

“What’s a relationship without some cheese?”

Levi rolled his eyes, “along the lines of cheese, I bought something special for lunch. What do you say?”

Eren looked really excited as he pushed himself up onto his knees on the couch, letting Levi get up, “Lunch sounds amazing right about now.”

Levi led Eren to the kitchen, and sat him down at the bar before moving around the kitchen gathering ingredients to make what he had in mind. He had some crackers that had cracked pepper on them, a few different kinds of cheeses, ham, honey mustard, summer sausage, and a bottle of Pinot Noir wine. He cut up the cheese, ham, and sausage, put some crackers on a plate with them, set out the honey mustard, and placed the plates on the bar top in front of Eren, but told him to wait while he got two wine glasses for them and poured the red liquid into them. 

Only when Levi was sitting next to him, and they both had their wine did Levi allow Eren to start eating. A few bites in, Eren took a sip of the wine and once again moaned at flavor. “Levi, this is all really good. What is the wine?”

“It’s a Pinot Noir. One of my favorites, and it goes well with earthy flavors, like cheeses, tomatoes, breads, and crackers like these,” Levi held up one of the crackers. “they are Triscuits with cracked pepper and olive oil.”

Eren nodded, taking another sip of the wine, “I love it. It’s like a build-your-own-mini-sandwich bar with delicious wine.”

Levi chuckled, “yeah, it is. I do lunches like this a lot. It’s really easy and fast, and the wine helps settle my nerves after classes.”

“So that’s why you always have wine of some kind in the cupboard.” Levi nodded as Eren connected the dots.

“I try to stay away from anything stronger, because, well… you know what happens when I don’t.” Levi avoided eye contact with the brunet next to him.

“I would hope you don’t do that too often. It’s bad for you to drink that much. And you were like a totally different person that night. I honestly thought at the time that if you knew what I had seen you would kill me. I thought I was going to be dead the next morning, but I was pleasantly surprised when you let it slide so easily.” Eren nibbled on a cracker as he thought back on that night when he came home to find Levi drunk and crying.

“Honestly, I figured it wasn’t your fault you saw me like that. I should have expected it. It was my own damn fault for getting the whiskey out. If I didn’t want you to see what I’m like when I’m sad and drunk, I shouldn’t have drank in the first place.” They fell silent for a minute, until Levi had a thought, “on the other hand, had you been the one to get me to drink in the first place it would have been a totally different outcome.” 

Eren laughed, finishing off their cheese and crackers, and sipping the last of his wine, “I’ve gotten you to drink before. It was just a week ago.”

“Yes,” Levi agreed, “but it was different. I didn’t drink that much, and I was not upset that night. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

“Oh?” Eren lifted an eyebrow as he looked sideways at Levi. “Does that mean you were happy to go out with me? Perhaps we need to go on a lot more dates, then.”

Levi rolled his eyes, “perhaps.” He stood to take the plate to the sink and wash it. When he put it away, he went back to Eren, swiveled the stool around, and wedged himself between Eren’s legs. “What do you want to do now?”

Eren wrapped his arms around Levi’s neck, “I don’t know. Did you mention something about a massage earlier this morning?”

Levi nodded, kissing Eren’s neck and jaw and speaking into the tanned flesh, “I did.”

The brunet gasped when Levi bit down lightly on his neck where it met his shoulder, “I might…. Uh… have to take you up on that,” he said breathlessly through Levi’s treatment of one of his most sensitive spots. 

Levi pulled Eren from the stool, and Eren wrapped his legs around Levi’s waist. He carried the brunette up the stairs and into the bedroom, where he set the brunet on the edge of the bed, and pulled his shirt over his head. Then he eased the younger man onto his stomach and climbed over him to straddle the brunet’s legs and sit on the backs of his thighs.  
He started rubbing firm, soothing circles in the broad, tan back below him, earning groans into the pillow whenever he got a particularly sore spot. He worked his way down Eren’s back, then to each shoulder and down his arms, then to his legs, moving off of them and taking the other’s pants off to do so. Finally, when every muscle in Eren was loose, he took the perfect globes of Eren’s ass into each hand and massaged them through the younger’s boxers, eliciting a different kind of groan into the pillow below Eren’s face. 

Levi chuckled lightly, leaning over to kiss down Eren’s spine until he met a line of boxers, halting his progress. “You know, if you do this you’ll probably have to give me another massage.” Eren’s words were muffled into the pillow, but Levi heard it all the same. 

“That’s alright. I would rather ravish you right now anyways.” Sure enough, about an hour later Levi was massaging Eren’s lower back once again, working the knots out, and breaking up lactic acid that seemed to like taking residence in Eren’s muscles. < p>“It hurts so good…” Eren stated, making Levi pause. 

“It what?” He tilted his head to the side to see Eren’s face a little better from his spot on his legs. 

“It hurts, but it feels so good at the same time,” Eren looked over his shoulder at the raven, “so, I say again, ‘it hurts so good’.” Eren practically moaned the last few words in that sentence and collapsed back onto the pillow. 

“What am I going to do with you?” Levi shook his head, returning to his task.

“Love me. All we need is love, just like this.” Eren seemed so content with that, and Levi didn’t have the heart to reject or deny it. In fact, he couldn’t if he wanted to. He was totally in love with this kid, and the craziest part of that was the fact that Levi didn’t even notice he was falling in love until he was already drowning in it. He grew to love Eren more and more every day he spent with him, and every day he didn’t think he could love any more. He thought he had already given his whole heart to his two very best friends, and that they took his heart with them when they died. Yet, here he was, falling deeper every day as Eren helped him stitch his shattered heart back together with kind words and a loving soul. 

Levi couldn’t help the next words that rolled off his tongue easily, as if he had said them every day for a thousand years. Words he never thought he would say to anyone. “I love you.” he spoke softly into the skin between Eren’s shoulder blades, snaking his arms around the brunet’s torso and hugging him tight. 

Eren grinned into the soft pillow below him, “I love you, too.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is feeling a little insecure after Thanksgiving break has come to an end.

Eren buried his face in the book on the desk in front of him. It was the first day back from Thanksgiving break, and he was having a hard time staying awake in his 9 o’clock class. Kim was sitting next to him, and wouldn’t let him fall asleep, even if they did sit in the back of the class and probably wouldn’t be noticed. 

The rest of the weekend had been amazing. He spent all of Sunday alone with Levi, sharing kisses, cooking together, and making love. It was the most amazing weekend Eren had ever had. He smiled softly at the memories he couldn’t seem to let go of, not that he wanted to. Then he frowned at the last memory from the weekend. When they arrived back at the dorm, he realized he most likely wouldn’t be able to sleep next to Levi. Neither of them exactly had a big enough bed. They weren’t meant to be shared. Levi had agreed, much to Eren’s chagrin. 

They slept separately that night for the first time since making their relationship official. Eren found himself unable to sleep well because of it. Sadly, Eren noticed they started to fall back into their old routine, the only difference being that when Levi returned from the gym he pecked Eren quickly on the lips before shooing him out of the bathroom like usual. 

Eren became concerned that they were going to be stuck, and that their relationship wouldn’t make any progress from where they were at that moment, all because of a bed that was too small for them to sleep together. 

The professor excused the class, and Eren gathered his things quickly. Kim had been prying him for details since he saw her before class, and she wasn’t about to let up, either. “Come on, Eren! What happened with you and Levi?” She had to jog to keep up with his fast pace toward his next class. She pulled on his shoulder, and spun him around. She grasped onto his arms to keep him from turning away again. “Please tell me?”

Eren sighed, “Fine, he’s my boyfriend now. Happy? But I don’t know how well this is going to go from here on out, so don’t go spreading it or anything.”

Kim squealed and jumped up and down a little. “I knew you liked him!” She exclaimed, and Eren cringed away from her loud voice. She could be just like Hanji sometimes. He now understood Levi’s pain when it came to crazy brunettes. 

“Kim, I have to get to class, but we can talk more about this when we go to lunch later.” Eren sighed and started to turn away again. 

“Okay. The café as usual?” Kim grinned at him. 

Eren nodded at the question and entered his classroom without another word. The class went by too quickly, and he was soon walking into the homey café as usual. Kim was already there, and Eren braced himself for impact as he joined her at the booth. 

“Well,” Kim started, “Go on. I want all of the juicy details. When did you first kiss? Did you do the deed, or have you not gotten that far, yet? Did you two spend the entire week at your parents’ house, or did you end up going somewhere else?” Kim winked at him, and Eren rolled his eyes. 

“We kissed on our first night there, and we stayed at my parents’ house until Friday, then he took me to his house for the last two nights until last night, when we came back here. Before you ask again, yes we had sex.” Eren resolved then that he would divulge no more on that subject. She didn’t need to know all he and Levi did in their alone time. 

She squealed like a fangirl on her side of the booth, and Eren shook his head. She spoke quickly and loudly. “Tell me more! I want details, man.”

“There’s not much to say.”

“What do you mean ‘there’s not much to say’?”

“I mean just that.” Eren stirred his coffee that the waitress had set in front of him. 

“How can that be true? You have a new boyfriend that you had sex with for the first time on Friday. There’s plenty to say, I’m sure. You’re just not telling me.”

“What ever happened to a couple being able to keep their private lives just that, private?” Eren sipped at the brown liquid in his cup. 

Kim huffed, “Come on, you must be able to tell me something. Is he a good kisser? I bet he’s super sweet and gentle. You’ve always called him an asshole, but I think he’s probably just a sweet teddy bear inside.”

Eren grimaced at the image. “No, no. Levi’s no teddy bear. I guess he does have something of a soft spot, though. We spent all Saturday laying around, and he did anything and everything I wanted to do. He was kind and gentle in a way I hadn’t seen yet. And yes, he’s a really good kisser.” 

Kim smiled softly at him, letting go of her manic side for a second. “That’s amazing, Eren. I’m so glad you two have a good relationship.” 

Eren smiled, but it quickly fell. Kim gave him a questioning look, and Eren decided to tell her a little of what he was feeling. “I don’t know what to think. We fell back into our old routine a little too easily. Nothing seems to have changed in the way I expected it to.”

Kim gave him a strange look. “Eren, it’s only been a day. You can’t say that for sure, can you?” Eren shrugged. “Give it a few days, and see what happens before you start worrying about things like that. You only have half a day to go off so far. That’s not nearly enough time to start worrying about something like that.”

Eren shrugged, “Fine, I guess.” 

Eren couldn’t help but worry about it for the rest of the day as he went to work and dealt with Jean’s antics, which he just couldn’t seem to combat that day. Jean even noticed. “Hey, kid. What’s got   
your head all in a knot?”

Eren looked up from the ribbon he was twirling around his finger that he was supposed to be making into a wreath. “Huh?”

“You didn’t even say anything when I called you a maniac just a second ago. You didn’t even hear me. So again, what’s going on in that thick head of yours? Guy trouble?”

Eren groans, “I’m not having guy trouble,” he lied. “And even if I was, I wouldn’t tell you about it.”

“Fine, whatever, you crazy psycho.” They went back to making wreaths in silence until Jean got a ribbon tied around his finger and it was cutting off the circulation. Eren had to cut the ribbon off his finger as they cursed at each other. When it was off Jean mumbled a quiet thank you and looked to Eren sideways. “You know, we might bicker and argue a lot, but we’ve been through a lot together as well. You’re still a friend first and foremost. If you need anything…”

“I’m fine, Jean, but thanks for the thought.” Eren got up to help the customer that walked through the door, and avoided Jean for the rest of the evening. 

Walking into the dorm was probably the easiest part of the day, but in many ways felt like the hardest. He wasn’t sure what to expect upon entering the apartment, and it scared him more than he would have liked to admit. When he opened the door he was met with the smell of seasonings and the sound of sizzling coming from the kitchen. 

He turned his head toward the rich smell of cooking chicken to find Levi there, cooking enough for the both of them. Eren approached Levi and went to kiss him on the cheek, but was pleasantly surprised when Levi turned his head just in time for their lips to meet. Eren sighed into the kiss he didn’t even realize he needed. 

Levi pulled away. “How was your day?”

Eren bit his bottom lip to keep it from quivering. He hadn’t stopped thinking about everything for the whole day, and the emotional stress from worrying about his new dilemma made him feel like he was about to cry. Instead of answering, he pressed his forehead against Levi’s and closed his eyes. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves before he lost it completely. 

Levi nudged Eren away a little and placed a steady hand on Eren’s cheek, making Eren open his eyes again. Levi pulled him in for another sweet kiss on the lips, and another on the cheek, then pulled away to look Eren in the eyes. The younger boy’s emeralds were already swimming in tears that he wouldn’t let fall. The sight made his heart clench for the other man. He decided to ask a new question, “Eren. What’s wrong? What happened?” The tears finally fell from Eren’s eyes, and the was the turning point for Levi.

He reached over to turn the stove off and move the chicken off of the hot burner before pulling Eren into the living room to sit on the couch. He leaned back against the arm rest of the sofa, and pulled Eren to his chest, petting his hair and just letting him cry silently. 

After only a few minutes, Eren pulled away and wiped the stray tears away. “Sorry. This is so stupid, and I’m probably over-reacting. I probably shouldn’t even be worrying about it.”  
Levi furrowed his brow in confusion. “What has you worrying?” He sat up with Eren to be closer to his level.   
Eren shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, “like I said, It’s probably nothing.”  
Levi shook his own head, and pulled Eren down for yet another kiss. When their lips parted Levi kept his forehead connected to Eren’s. “Obviously it’s not ‘nothing’ if it has you worried. So what’s going on?”

Eren leaned forward a little more to rest his head on Levi’s shoulder. “I just feel like nothing’s changed now that we are back here. We went back to the same old routine, the same little fights, and the same relationship as before. It scares me. I thought things would be different than they were before. And so far, nothing is different. We fought over the bathroom this morning, just like we did before. I left without saying goodbye this morning. I don’t know. It’s just not what I expected, and I know we have only had a half of a day to judge this off of, but still…” Eren left the sentence hanging, but Levi still had a good idea where he was going with this. 

Levi chuckled with a little humor behind it. “Oh, Eren. You really are a brat.” He nearly whispered the words, and Eren’s heart warmed a little from the affection behind them. “Is this because we didn’t sleep together last night?”

Eren shrugged a little, honestly confused by his own reactions to the small things. “I honestly don’t know.” He sat up and leaned back in the middle of the couch. Levi followed him up and sat facing him, one leg dangling off the side, and the other tucked up under his thigh. 

Levi thought for a moment, and took Eren’s hand in his own. He noticed that the younger’s hands were rough and most likely stained in multicolor due to his constant use of art supplies of all kinds. He lifted the hand to his face and reverently placed a soft kiss to the back of it. When he looked up at Eren, he was looking at him strangely. Before Eren could even ask, Levi answered a totally different question. “Eren, I know this is going to be hard. It will be all too easy to fall right back into our previous relationship, but I also know that’s not going to happen. Know why?” Eren shook his head ‘no.’ Levi smiled minutely before continuing, “I know that because we love each other. I don’t know about you, but there’s no way I could go back to ignoring you or making you make your own food. And honestly, I kind of want some things to stay the same. In actuality, I have always enjoyed our morning tiffs, including kicking you out of the bathroom before you’ve completely tamed your hair or brushed your teeth. The point is, Eren, a lot has changed, but not everything needs to for us to be together. In fact, I think it’s almost healthier for our relationship if we keep some things the same.”

Eren chucked under his breath and pecked Levi on the lips. Levi looked at him funny and asked, “What’s so funny, brat?”

Laughing a little harder, Eren responded, “I just find it kind of amusing how only a week ago you were telling me how awful you would be at a relationship, and that I would be the one needing to teach you. Yet, here you are, telling me how our relationship should be handled. I just found it ironic.”

Levi shook his head and pulled Eren into his arms again. “Brat.” With Eren soothed and comforted, Levi suggested they finish dinner together, and Eren agreed enthusiastically. Levi finished the chicken and Eren made a salad and rice to go with it. 

As they fed each other and relaxed after all of the swirling emotions, Eren couldn’t help but smile. He decided he was one of the luckiest guys in the world to have Levi by his side; to be in love with him, and have earned his love in return.


End file.
